That's a gain of nearly 5 months since 2006, and the longest average life expectancy ever recorded in New York City.
Life expectancy has reached 82 years for women and 76.3 years for men.
The Mayor and Commissioner made the announcement as the Health Department published new findings in its Annual Summary of Vital Statistics.
Besides charting an increase in life expectancy for 2007, the report provides detailed statistics on births and deaths in 2008. The overall death rate remained at an historic low - and deaths from many preventable causes declined.
Between 2007 and 2008, deaths due to HIV fell by 4 percent in New York City, drug-related deaths plunged by 13 percent, and cardiovascular disease claimed 284 fewer lives. Heart disease and cancer remained the city's biggest killers, claiming 21,192 lives and 13,047 lives, respectively, in 2008. The leading killers with significant increases were chronic lower respiratory disease (mainly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which rose by 12 percent, and deaths due to high blood pressure and hypertensive kidney disease, also up by 12 percent.
Vital Statistics Annual Summaries as far back as 1961 are available online at www.nyc.gov/vitalstats. To learn how to obtain a birth or death certificate, visit www.nyc.gov/vitalrecords or call 311.
