Data: US Life Expectancy Plummeted 1.8 Years In 2020

PBS NewsHour reports:

COVID-19 helped erase 1.8 years from the average American’s life expectancy in 2020, according to the latest federal mortality data released Wednesday, marking the greatest change in the American lifespan since World War II.

During that one brutal year, COVID-19 became the third-most common cause of death in the United States, with one out of 10 fatalities due to the virus.

In 2020, before the COVID vaccines were widely available, life expectancy plummeted to 77 years, down 1.8 years from 78.8 years in 2019 for the entire population, the new data shows.

Read the full article.

NEW: COVID-19 helped erase 1.8 years from the average American’s life expectancy in 2020, according to the latest federal mortality data.

The decrease marks the greatest change in the American lifespan since World War II. https://t.co/e0mj53QlZ3 pic.twitter.com/Y5mIGRoU6j

— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) December 22, 2021