Disparities between men and women were greatest in more than two decades
Life expectancy across all groups in the U.S. has fallen 2.7 years from 2019 to 2021, the largest two-year decrease in 100 years, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released Wednesday.
Overall, life expectancy at birth fell to 76.1 years, with life expectancy declines driven primarily by the coronavirus pandemic and unintentional injuries including overdoses, with heart disease, liver disease and suicide representing smaller contributions, the CDC reported. While life expectancy is expected to increase slightly in 2022, it is unlikely to rise to pre-pandemic levels and CDC researchers are still waiting to see how the U.S. fares in an expected winter rise in death rates, according to Reuters.
Disparities between men and women were the greatest in more than 20 years, with the difference in life expectancy now nearly six years apart, according to Reuters. Life expectancy for men fell to 73.2 years, a one-year decline from 2020, while life expectancy for women fell to 79.1 years from 79.9 in 2020, according to the CDC report.