"According to the World Bank, a typical American born in 1960 could expect to live to be about 70 years old. Due to factors such as advancements in medical care, consumer safety regulations, and the near-eradication of certain infectious diseases, life expectancy in the U.S. was on a steady upward trajectory in the following decades, reaching about 78.8 years in 2019."
"That year, life expectancy in the U.S. fell by about 1.8 years, and in 2021, it declined by another 0.7 years - the two largest backslides since record-keeping began. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the historic year-over-year declines were linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and an uptick in so-called "deaths of despair," including cirrhosis of the liver, accidental overdoses, and suicide."
Life expectancy at birth in the United States rose from about 70 years for people born in 1960 to roughly 78.8 years by 2019. In 2020 it fell by about 1.8 years and declined another 0.7 years in 2021, the two largest drops on record. Those declines were linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in cirrhosis, accidental overdoses, and suicide. Life expectancy improved in 2022 and 2023 to 78.4 years but remains below the 80-plus-year averages of many other wealthy nations. County-level variation produces gaps of a decade or more within the U.S.
Read at 24/7 Wall St.
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