Life expectancy dropped during the pandemic in many countries, but some populations are suffering more than others
For the past 100 years, people have lived longer all over the world. Then COVID hit. Now, nearly three years after the pandemic, with a highly effective vaccine widely available, life expectancy in many middle- and high-income countries is beginning to recover. However, it is still on the decline in the United States. Last year’s survey found that life expectancy in most Western European countries he recovered in 2021. This is most likely a result of higher vaccination coverage and lower mortality, especially among older people. However, the United States continues to decline, in part due to declining vaccination coverage and a devastating opioid epidemic.
Despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, life expectancy in the United States has fallen to levels not recorded since 1996, according to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the impact is not felt equally. Native Americans, Blacks, Latinos, and men in general are dying at disproportionately high mortality rates during the pandemic, both from COVID and from other causes.
This article was originally published in Scientific American 328, 2, 76 (February 2023) under the title “How the US Lost Years of Life.”
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0223-76
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