U.S. life expectancy fell in 2021 as drug overdoses and COVID-19 cases surged
Washington, December 27 (RHC)-- In the United States, life expectancy has dropped to its lowest level in a quarter-century, brought down by the coronavirus pandemic and a surge of drug overdoses.
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a baby born in 2021 can, on average, expect to live 76.4 years. That’s nearly two-and-a-half years of lost life expectancy since the start of the pandemic.
Last year, a record 106,000 U.S. residents died from a drug overdose, while COVID-19 remained the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer.
