United States of America

The country is comprised of 50 states and several politically designated territories and commonwealths, of which Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa are just a few.

Between 2010 and 2015, the U.S. population grew by 4.1%, from 303,956,272 to 316,515,021, making it the third most populous country in the world. The population has become more socially and ethnically diverse. Between 2010 and 2015, the foreign-born share of the population increased to 13.2%.

Life expectancy at birth was 78.8 years in 2014 (81.2 in women and 76.4 in men).

The U.S. economy is the largest in the world, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of over US$ 18 billion and per capita income of US$ 56,116.

(Source: Health in the Americas+, 2017 Edition)

The cooperation between PAHO and the United Stated of America goes back to the founding of the Organization. The first General International Sanitary Convention of the American Republics, whose purpose was to assure effective cooperation in promoting health in the Americas, was held in Washington, DC, from 2 to 5 December 1902 with representatives of 11 countries present. These were the first steps towards the consolidation and creation of what was to become the oldest, continuously functioning international health agency in the world, The Pan American Sanitary Bureau (PASB). The first Chairman of the PASB was Dr. Walter Wyman, the surgeon general of the United States Public Health and Marine Hospital Service.

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