Which term refers to the average number of years that a person can be expected to live?

The term that refers to the average number of years a person can be expected to live is life expectancy. This metric is commonly used in demographic studies to indicate the overall health, longevity, and quality of life within a population. Life expectancy is influenced by factors such as healthcare access, lifestyle choices, economic conditions, and environmental factors. It provides a summary measure of mortality in a population and reflects the impact of various social determinants on overall health outcomes.

Fertility pertains to the birth rates within a population and does not directly relate to the expected lifespan of individuals. The mortality rate measures the frequency of deaths in a particular population during a specified time period, which is a different metric that does not indicate average lifespan directly. Population density, on the other hand, describes the number of individuals per unit area in a given environment, which does not provide any information about life expectancy or longevity. Thus, life expectancy stands distinctively as the appropriate term for the average number of years expected for a person to live.