U.S. life expectancy saw 'staggering decline' in 2020, CDC says

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published 22 December 2021

U.S. life expectancy declined by nearly two years in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics in a new report released Wednesday said life expectancy in the U.S. declined from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77 years in 2020, ABC News and The Washington Post report. This was even more than previously thought, as the CDC reported a 1.5-year decline earlier this year based on provisional data. There were about 350,000 deaths from COVID-19 in 2020.

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In fact, it was the biggest decline in life expectancy since World War II. COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in 2020, and it was the "primary driver in the decline in life expectancy and the increase in mortality," Anderson told ABC. Overall, there were about 530,000 more deaths in the U.S. in 2020 than there were the year before. According to CNN, the death rate increased 43 percent for Hispanic males, 28 percent for Black males, and 13 percent for white males.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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