Life expectancy in the U.S. fell in 2021, for the second year in a row.
In 2019, someone born in the U.S. had a life expectancy of nearly 80 years. In 2020, because of the pandemic, that dropped to 77 years. In 2021 life span dropped again — to 76.1 years. And for some Americans, life expectancy is even lower, according to a provisional analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The results of this study are very disturbing,” says Dr. Steven Woolf, a professor of population health and health equity at Virginia Commonwealth University. “This shows that U.S. life expectancy in 2021 was even lower than in 2020,” he says.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
