A decade-long stall in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality improvements has widened the life expectancy gap between Black and White Americans, according to a new analysis of national death records. The slowdown, which began around 2010, has disproportionately affected Black communities—especially Black women.
From 2000 to 2009, CVD mortality declined rapidly, and Black Americans saw faster gains in life expectancy than Whites. During that time, the Black-White life expectancy gap narrowed by over a year for both men and women. But after 2010, progress stalled. “Had pre-2010 CVD mortality trends continued,” the authors write, “Black women would have lived 2.04 years longer in 2019,” cutting the life expectancy gap by nearly half a year.
By 2022, the missed opportunity grew even larger. Under a scenario where CVD mortality kept falling, Black women would have gained 2.83 years of life expectancy—enough to surpass the real-life expectancy of White women that year. Instead, the actual Black-White gap for women stood at 2.42 years.
The study points to multiple contributors to the stagnation, including rising obesity, diabetes, and stress, as well as limited access to quality care. Black women face additional risks from pregnancy-related CVD and systemic barriers in health care. The authors argue that “efforts to return CVD mortality declines should be targeted, tailored, and accessible for Black Americans and middle-aged Black women specifically.”
See: “Stagnating declines in cardiovascular disease mortality in the United States expanded the black-white life expectancy gap” (October 14, 2025)
