Covid, suicide and drug overdoses blamed for decline
American life expectancy has fallen for a second year, and is down by almost three years since the start of the pandemic due to Covid, drug abuse, record suicides and stubborn levels of chronic disease.
In 2019, the average US life expectancy was more than 79 years. In 2020, because of the pandemic, that dropped to 77 years. According to provisional official data released today, Americans born in 2021 will on average now live to 76 years and one month — a level last seen in 1996.
