COVID-19 Had a Much Greater Impact on Life Expectancy Than Previously Thought

A recent study published in The Lancet never-before-seen unprecedented details on the exceptionally high death rates due to the COVID-19 pandemic both within nations and internationally. Regions including Mexico City, Peru, and Bolivia experienced some of the most significant reductions in life expectancy from 2019 to 2021. This research, offering new estimates from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study, delivers the most thorough examination yet of the pandemic’s impact on human health. It reveals that the worldwide average life expectancy decreased by 1.6 years between 2019 and 2021, a sharp reversal from past increases.

Among GBD’s other key findings, child mortality continued to drop amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with half a million fewer deaths among children under 5 in 2021 compared to 2019. Mortality rates among children under 5 decreased by 7% from 2019 to 2021.