Global Life Expectancy Rises 6.2 Years, Pandemic Stalls Progress

A recent Lancet study reveals that global life expectancy increased by 6.2 years between 1990 and 2021. This rise was fueled by reductions in deaths from diseases like diarrhea, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and ischemic heart disease. However, the Covid-19 pandemic caused significant setbacks worldwide.

The study highlights that the leading causes of death remained consistent from 1990 to 2019, with ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections topping the list. Global life expectancy improved during this period, thanks in part to annual reductions in deaths from all causes ranging from 0.9% to 2.4%.

The pandemic disrupted this progress, causing a net reduction in life expectancy of 1.6 years between 2019 and 2021. Covid-19 became the second-leading cause of death globally, marking the first major shakeup in the rankings in decades.

Regional changes in life expectancy varied significantly. The super-region comprising Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania saw the greatest net gain in life expectancy, rising by 8.3 years. This increase was due to significant drops in mortality from chronic respiratory diseases, stroke, lower respiratory infections, and cancer. Strong pandemic management in this region limited life expectancy losses due to Covid-19 to just 0.4 years between 2019 and 2021.

Reductions in deaths from enteric diseases, including diarrhea and typhoid, also played a significant role in improving life expectancy, contributing to an overall increase of 1.1 years globally.

Dr. Liane Ong from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluations, one of the study’s authors, emphasized the dual impact of these findings: “On one hand, we see countries’ monumental achievements in preventing deaths from diarrhea and stroke. At the same time, we see how much the Covid-19 pandemic has set us back.”

A notable statistic from the study is the 31.5% drop in the age-standardized mortality rate for ischemic heart disease between 1990 and 2021. In 2021, the rate was 108.7, with Covid-19 ranking as the second-leading cause of death at 94.0.

One surprising finding was the largest decline in life expectancy due to Covid-19 occurring in Latin America and the Caribbean, where it caused a 3.6-year reduction.

The study, a first of its kind, compares deaths from Covid-19 to other leading causes of death. It suggests that Covid-19 may have had indirect effects on mortality rates, such as physical distancing measures affecting mortality for other diseases and deferred care-seeking leading to pandemic-related deaths not directly attributable to Covid-19.

A previous Lancet study found that global life expectancy dropped by 1.6 years due to the pandemic, with the United States experiencing the highest excess mortality rate compared to similar high-wealth nations.