The male-female life expectancy gap, which favors females, fell from 7.6 years in 1970 to 4.8 years in 2010, a reduction of more than one-third. Most of this convergence was caused by asubstantial decline from 1990 to 2000 in HIV-AIDS mortality and in the homicide rate. Because HIV-AIDS and homicide affect men more than women, a decline in these underlying rates had the effect of reducing the male-female life expectancy gap. Life expectancy has stagnated for the last several years for men and women, primarily due to increases in drug poisoning deaths and in the suicide rate.