A black baby boy born today can expect to live 5.4 fewer years, on average, than his white counterpart, and a black baby girl will die 3.7 years earlier, on average, than her white counterpart.
The life expectancy for black men in 2008 was 70.8 years, up from 68.8 years in 2003 but still well below the 76.2 years for white men.