Another 4% drop in the death rate between 2023 and 2024 raised life expectancy by more than half a year. Drug overdose deaths spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the rate has been declining since 2022, according to the CDC. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are still involved in most overdose deaths, ​but their involvement is becoming less prevalent — likely a key factor driving the overall decline in overdose deaths. About 6 in 10 overdose deaths in 2024 involved fentanyl or another synthetic opioid, CDC data shows, down from more than 9 in 10 in 2023. Overall, women can still expect to live a few years longer than men but that gap is shrinking, CDC data shows.