Healthgrades for ProfessionalsMedical Specialties Ranked by Life Expectancy

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A recent study published in Lifestyle Medicine examines the life expectancy of doctors across various medical specialties. The research, based on an analysis of 8,156 obituaries from 1997 to 2019, reveals significant variations in longevity among different medical fields. Although doctors generally outlive the general population, the study highlights important factors that influence life expectancy within the medical profession.

Key Points:

• The mean age at death for all medical specialties was 78.9 years.
• Primary care physicians had the highest life expectancy at 80.3 years.
• Emergency medicine specialists had the lowest life expectancy at 58.7 years, though this may be due to a small sample size and the specialty’s recent recognition.
• Socioeconomic factors, including education and wealth, likely contribute to doctors’ longer lifespans compared to the general population.
• Cancer was the leading cause of death among all medical specialties, differing from the general population where heart disease is the primary cause.
• The medical profession has a higher suicide rate compared to the general population.
• Physician stress and burnout, especially in emergency medicine, pose significant challenges to healthcare professionals’ longevity.

According to the results of a study from 2000, among both US white and black men, physicians were, on average, older when they died, (73.0 years for white and 68.7 for black) than were lawyers (72.3 and 62.0), all examined professionals (70.9 and 65.3), and all men (70.3 and 63.6). (American Journal of Preventive Medicine)

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