A new national cohort study reveals that self-identified American Indian and Alaska Native individuals experience a life expectancy of just 72.7 years, which is 6.5 years shorter than the overall United States average of 79.2 years. This gap is far greater than suggested by official statistics, with the true disparity nearly three times wider once underreporting and racial misclassification on death certificates are corrected.
From 2008 to 2019, the research tracked over four million U.S. adults, including more than thirty thousand who self-identified as American Indian or Alaska Native. It found that only 59% of these Native individuals had their race correctly recorded on death certificates. This underrecognition is particularly severe for deaths from heart disease and cancer, contributing to what researchers describe as the “statistical erasure of Indigenous people.” Mortality rates for Native Americans were thus significantly understated in the Centers for Disease Control’s vital statistics.
The study’s authors warn that the AIAN life expectancy gap has recently widened, from 4.1 years in 2008-2010 to 8 years in 2017-2019. Data also show that when self-identified race rather than certificate-recorded race is considered, mortality rates for AIAN people are 42% higher than the national average, compared to just 5% higher in official records.
These findings highlight the urgent need for more accurate data and targeted health efforts to address the persistent disparities faced by Native American communities.
See: “Life Expectancy of American Indian and Alaska Native Persons and Underreporting of Mortality in Vital Statistics” (June 16, 2025)
