Living Longer

Among the nations that measure average life expectancy, America ranks a relatively low 17th -- behind most of Western Europe, Japan, Greece and even Bulgaria. Part of the reason is that the U.S. is a large, heterogeneous country where many people, especially non-whites and the rural poor, lack good nutrition and medical care.

But the statistics are improving. The average American life span reached a record-high 71.9 years in 1974, up from 71.3 in 1973. According to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., the expected lifetime rose to 68.1 years for men and to 75.8 for women -- the largest annual increases in two decades.

Americans are living longer, in part because of a 2% decrease in the death rate from heart disease -- accounting for more than a third of all deaths -- and a 5% decline in the rate from strokes. The rate from auto accidents dropped 20% last year, largely because of the new and sensible 55 m.p.h. speed limit and a decline in the number of miles driven as a result of the gasoline price rise.

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