Current:Home > ContactAlgosensey Quantitative Think Tank Center-U.S. life expectancy rose in 2022 by more than a year, but remains below pre-pandemic levels -Elevate Money Guide
Algosensey Quantitative Think Tank Center-U.S. life expectancy rose in 2022 by more than a year, but remains below pre-pandemic levels
SafeX Pro View
Date:2025-04-09 03:50:35
U.S. life expectancy rose last year — by more than a year — but Algosensey Quantitative Think Tank Centerstill isn't close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2022 rise was mainly due to the waning pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said Wednesday. But even with the large increase, U.S. life expectancy is only 77 years, 6 months — about what it was two decades ago.
Life expectancy is an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live, assuming the death rates at that time hold constant. The snapshot statistic is considered one of the most important measures of the health of the U.S. population. The 2022 calculations released Wednesday are provisional, and could change a little as the math is finalized.
For decades, U.S. life expectancy rose slightly nearly every year. But about a decade ago, the trend flattened and even declined some years — a stall blamed largely on overdose deaths and suicides.
Then came the coronavirus, which has killed more than 1.1 million people in the U.S. since early 2020. The measure of American longevity plunged, dropping from 78 years, 10 months in 2019 to 77 years in 2020, and then to 76 years, 5 months in 2021.
"We basically have lost 20 years of gains," said the CDC's Elizabeth Arias.
A decline in COVID-19 deaths drove 2022's improvement.
In 2021, COVID was the nation's third leading cause of death (after heart disease and cancer). Last year, it fell to the fourth leading cause. With more than a month left in the current year, preliminary data suggests COVID-19 could end up being the ninth or 10th leading cause of death in 2023.
But the U.S. is battling other issues, including drug overdose deaths and suicides.
The number of U.S. suicides reached an all-time high last year, and the national suicide rate was the highest seen since 1941, according to a second CDC report released Wednesday.
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. went up slightly last year after two big leaps at the beginning of the pandemic. And through the first six months of this year, the estimated overdose death toll continued to inch up.
U.S. life expectancy also continues to be lower than that of dozens of other countries. It also didn't rebound as quickly as it did in other places, including France, Italy, Spain and Sweden.
Steven Woolf, a mortality researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University, said he expects the U.S. to eventually get back to the pre-pandemic life expectancy.
But "what I'm trying to say is: That is not a great place to be," he said.
Some other highlights from the new report:
- Life expectancy increased for both men and women, and for every racial and ethnic group.
- The decline in COVID-19 deaths drove 84% of the increase in life expectancy. The next largest contributor was a decline in heart disease deaths, credited with about 4% of the increase. But experts note that heart disease deaths increased during COVID-19, and both factored into many pandemic-era deaths.
- Changes in life expectancy varied by race and ethnicity. Hispanic Americans and American Indians and Alaska Natives saw life expectancy rise more than two years in 2022. Black life expectancy rose more than 1 1/2 years. Asian American life expectancy rose one year and white life expectancy rose about 10 months.
But the changes are relative, because Hispanic Americans and Native Americans were hit harder at the beginning of COVID-19. Hispanic life expectancy dropped more than four years between 2019 and 2021, and Native American life expectancy fell more than six years.
"A lot of the large increases in life expectancy are coming from the groups that suffered the most from COVID," said Mark Hayward, a University of Texas sociology professor who researches how different factors affect adult deaths. "They had more to rebound from."
- In:
- COVID-19
veryGood! (9)
Related
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Inside Clean Energy: The Right and Wrong Lessons from the Texas Crisis
- Maine aims to restore 19th century tribal obligations to its constitution. Voters will make the call
- The Most Unforgettable Red Carpet Moments From BET Awards
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- How Nick Cannon Honored Late Son Zen on What Would've Been His 2nd Birthday
- A lawsuit picks a bone with Buffalo Wild Wings: Are 'boneless wings' really wings?
- Chicago Billionaire James Crown Dead at 70 After Racetrack Crash
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- How Nick Cannon Honored Late Son Zen on What Would've Been His 2nd Birthday
Ranking
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Let Us Steal You For a Second to Check In With the Stars of The Bachelorette Now
- In-N-Out to ban employees in 5 states from wearing masks
- Yes, The Bachelorette's Charity Lawson Has a Sassy Side and She's Ready to Show It
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Judge rejects Trump's demand for retrial of E. Jean Carroll case
- BET Awards 2023: See the Complete List of Winners
- 'This is Us' star Mandy Moore says she's received streaming residual checks for 1 penny
Recommendation
US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
Maine aims to restore 19th century tribal obligations to its constitution. Voters will make the call
Thousands of Amazon Shoppers Love These Comfortable Bralettes— Get the Set on Sale for Up to 50% Off
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Diagnosed With Breast Cancer
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
Janet Yellen says the federal government won't bail out Silicon Valley Bank
China has reappointed its central bank governor, when many had expected a change
T-Mobile buys Ryan Reynolds' Mint Mobile in a $1.35 billion deal