The average life expectancy in the United States fell in 2021 for the second consecutive year, as deaths due to COVID-19 and unintentional injuries, such as overdoses, rose.
The U.S. life expectancy from birth dropped by nine-tenths of a year from 2020 to an average of 76.1 years in 2021, the lowest it has been since 1996, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. America's life expectancy has declined almost three years since 2019, when it was averaged at 78.8 years, as the pandemic took its toll.
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COVID-19 was the biggest driver of the drop, accounting for half of the decline last year. The coronavirus was associated with roughly 460,000 deaths between January through December 2021, according to the CDC. Other drivers were drug overdoses, heart disease, suicide, and chronic illnesses.
Meanwhile, deaths attributed to flu, pneumonia, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease fell in 2021.
Life expectancy also varied between men and women, like in previous years. In 2021, women's average life expectancy was 79.1 years and men's was 73.1, both dropping from 2020. There was also a disparity between racial and ethnic groups. Among Native Americans and Alaska Natives, life expectancy declined almost two years from 67.1 years in 2020 to 65.1 years in 2021.
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Life expectancy estimates the average number of years a baby might be expected to live, given the death rates at that time. The CDC's data are considered provisional, as additional death certificates from last year may be added or revised until roughly six months after the end of the year.
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Tags: CDC, News, Healthcare, Coronavirus, War on Drugs
Original Author: Abigail Adcox
Original Location: US life expectancy fell by almost a year in 2021 as pandemic raged