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Preliminary data from the CDC showed a 1.5 year decrease in life expectancy in the United States from 2019 to 2020.
A report published earlier in February estimated that life expectancy fell by 1 year in the first half of 2020.
Source: National Vital Statistics System
Elizabeth Arias, PhD, a member of the statistical analysis and research team at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, and colleagues estimate that life expectancy decreased from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77.3 years in 2020. This is the largest one-year decline in life expectancy since World War II, in which life expectancy fell 2.9 years between 1942 and 1943, according to the Primary Care Collaborative.
The decline in life expectancy from 2019 to 2020 was primarily due to increases in mortality from COVID-19, which contributed to 73.8% of the decrease. Other contributions included accidental injuries (11.2%), homicides (3.1%), diabetes (2.5%), and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (2.3%).
Arias and colleagues said the decrease would have been bigger, but it was due to a decrease in mortality from cancer (45.2%), chronic lower respiratory diseases (20.8%), heart disease (5.0%), Suicide (4.6%) and certain conditions in the perinatal period (4.0%).
The report also showed that life expectancy increased for men by 1.8 years from 76.3 years in 2019 to 74.5 years in 2020 and for women by 1.2 years from 81.4 years in 2019 to 80, 2 years in 2020.
The largest decline in life expectancy was seen in Hispanic men, which dropped from 79 years in 2019 to 75.3 years in 2020. Overall, the life expectancy of all Hispanic patients decreased from 81.8 years to 78.8 years.
The data also showed that life expectancy decreased from 74.7 years to 71.8 years for the non-Hispanic black population and decreased from 78.8 years to 77.6 years for the non-Hispanic white population in 2019.
“Mortality from COVID-19 was by far the largest impact on the decline in life expectancy,” wrote Arias and colleagues. “Among the causes negatively contributing to life expectancy changes, COVID-19 contributed 90% for the Hispanic population, 67.9% for the non-Hispanic white population, and 59.3% for the non-Hispanic black population.”
References:
National vital statistics system. Preliminary life expectancy estimates for 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr015-508.pdf. Accessed July 22, 2021.
Cooperation in basic services. Life expectancy in the US decreased by a year and a half in 2020. https://www.pcpcc.org/2021/07/21/life-expectancy-us-declined-year-and-half-2020. Accessed July 22, 2021.
perspective
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Lewis Nelson, MD
These results are fully in line with the country’s experience during the pandemic period. It certainly underscores the disparities that exist among the US population.
Life expectancy will most likely recover once the pandemic is over. There is no specific reason to believe that social or health changes made during COVID-19 will negatively impact health and longevity once the acute effects of the disease wear off. While COVID-19 is likely to remain in a fashion similar to influenza, the overall impact on life expectancy will be small compared to events in 2020.
Lewis Nelson, MD
Healio Primary Care Peer Perspective Board Member
Professor and Chair, Clinic for Emergency Medicine
Director, Division of Medical Toxicology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Emergency Department chief, University Hospital of Newark
Disclosure: Nelson does not report any relevant financial information.
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