COVID-19 Erases Decade of Life Expectancy Gains

May 25, 2024

According to a study from the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a big drop in life expectancy around the world. The results show that the average life expectancy is now 71.4 years, which is much lower than in previous years and the lowest level since 2012. The pandemic undid almost a decade’s worth of gains in making people live longer around the world.

Regional Impact and Life Expectancy Loss

The WHO’s World Health Statistics report shows that life expectancy is falling very quickly, especially in the Americas and Southeast Asia, where it dropped by about three years. Between 2019 and 2021, life expectancy fell by 1.8 years around the world, to 71.4 years. During that time, healthy life expectancy fell by 1.5 years, to 61.9 years.

Leading Causes of Death and Health Challenges

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and chronic lung problems were the main causes of death around the world before COVID-19. In 2019, they accounted for 74% of all deaths. These conditions were still common during the pandemic, but COVID-19 became the third most common cause of death in 2020 and the second most common cause of death in 2021. Almost 13 million people have died around the world since Covid-19 broke out.

Burden of Malnutrition and Obesity

The ongoing health crisis has also made problems with obesity and poor diet worse. Over a billion people over the age of five were considered obese in 2022, while more than 500 million were considered underweight. Children under five years old were severely affected by poor diet, with millions of them being stunted, wasting away, or being overweight.

Efforts Towards Health Goals and the Need for Accelerated Progress

Some progress has been made toward the WHO’s Triple Billion goals and some Sustainable Development Goals that have to do with health, but the pace is still slow. Estimates show that by 2025, not enough progress will have been made to protect the targeted populations enough during health crises. WHO officials are worried that these health SDGs might not be able to be met by 2030 if we don’t speed things up a lot. A new Pandemic Agreement is very important, according to the WHO. Its goals are to improve global health security, protect long-term investments in health, and make things more fair.

More About Global Life Expectancy

Current Statistics and Disparities:

The average life expectancy around the world has gone up a lot, now standing at 72.6 years in 2019.
Monaco and Japan have the longest average life spans, at over 84 years.
In some African countries, like Lesotho and the Central African Republic, people can expect to live just over 50 years.
Around the world, women usually live five years longer than men.

Factors Influencing Life Expectancy:

There is a close correlation between national wealth and higher life expectancy due to better access to healthcare.
Enhancements in public health, sanitation, and disease control measures play essential roles in increasing life spans.
Advances in medical technology and declining infant mortality rates significantly extend life expectancy.

Impact of COVID-19:

Estimates for 2020 show that the COVID-19 outbreak may have caused a drop in life expectancy around the world.
The pandemic has put a lot of stress on healthcare systems around the world.
It has also had a big impact on death rates, which could undo some of the progress made in recent years.

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