The life expectancy in the US is at a record high after slightly increasing from 78.7 to 78.8 years between 2011 and 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

But while life expectancy for females stood at about 81.2 in 2012, the average age males die in the country was at 76.4 years. Despite the fact that the figure, which relates to people born in 2012, represents only a fractional improvement from a year earlier, it has chalked a new mark in the country's health record.

The mortality rate for males has lagged behind that of females since the beginning of the 21^st century. However, the gap has slowly closed over the past few decades. Medical experts say there are both biological and social factors behind this difference.

USA Today quotes the lead author of the CDC report Jiaquan Xu explaining that "Men usually take more risks, and they participate in risky outdoor activities like climbing and scuba diving." Therefore, it stands to reason that they are at a higher risk of fatality than their female counterparts.

The fact that life expectancy in the US is at a record high reflects the improving health of people in the country. Researchers say the death rate also decreased fractionally by 1.1% between 2011 and 2012 to a record level of 732.8 per 100,000 people. These improvements have been attributed to the increased ability of medical solutions to prevent deaths from the 10 leading causes of death in the country. The 10 leading causes of death in the country, which the report notes remained the same between 2011 and 2012, include cancer, heart diseases, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, kidney disease, diabetes, unintentional injuries and depression.