- Life Expectancy Improves for Blacks, and the Racial Gap Is Closing, CDC Reports Washington Post by Joel Achenbach—African Americans have made significant gains in life expectancy, and the mortality gap between white and black Americans has been cut in half since 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Tuesday. Blacks experienced a 25 percent drop in their overall death rate, compared to a 14 percent decrease for whites, between 1999 and 2015. Deaths from heart disease, cancer, and stroke declined sharply among blacks 65 and older, and in that age group, blacks now have a lower death rate than whites, the CDC said.