Study: Average life expectancy of New Yorkers rose with influx of immigrants

Immigrants have much lower rates of smoking, AIDS and alcohol-related illnesses than native-born Americans, he said. The significant fall in homicides, down by 77 percent in the city since 1990, and death rates from AIDS, down by 85 percent over the same period, have helped drive improving life expectancies, according to the study.

The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Farley, said Wednesday that decreased mortality rates among older adults and people with heart disease, cancer and H.I.V. infection accounted for most of the life expectancy increases since 2000. Life expectancy has risen more sharply among native-born Americans than among immigrants, he said.

“The fact that foreign-born people live longer and life expectancy is pulled up by that is true and has been true,” he said, “but what we’re excited about is the change over time.”