CLEVELAND, Ohio — COVID-19, among other things, has shortened American life expectancy. In the U.S. it has dropped more than two full years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and is now at its lowest point since 1996.According to the final 2021 mortality data released at the end of 2022 from the National Center for Health Statistics, life expectancy dropped 6 months in 2021. This follows on the heels of an even larger one and a half year drop in 2020.Based on the data, both sexes combined can expect to live an average of 76.4 years, down from a peak of 78.9 years in 2014.Decreases in infant mortality, improvements in healthcare and sanitation have helped life expectancy in the U.S. to rise steadily since the 1800′s. Throughout history, life expectancy has declined only 3 other times until now– following the American Civil War, again after WWI and the Spanish flu epidemic, and finally in 2014 when life expectancy fell for three years in a row.The most recent drop was accelerated during the pandemic, falling from 78.8 in 2019 to 77 in 2020, and then to 76.4 in 2021.Women on average live longer than men by nearly six years. Women have a life expectancy of 79.3 years compared to the 73.5 years of men, and the gap between the sexes has continued to widen. In 2019, it was 76.3 for men and 81.4 for women.These statistics are based on life expectancy from birth. At age 65, men are expected to live another 17 years and women another 19.7 years, with almost no change from the data in 2020.The top three leading causes of death in 2021 were heart disease, cancer and COVID-19, with deaths due to COVID-19 increasing 18.8% over 2020.The remaining top 10 causes of death are unintentional injuries, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, …
COVID-19 cuts American life expectancy to lowest in nearly three decades – cleveland.com
