US Life Expectancy Has Biggest Drop Since WW2

by

In the first half of 2020, life expectancy at birth for the total U.S. population was 77.8 years, declining by 1.0 year from 78.8 in 2019 according to the CDC. There has not been a full-year drop in life expectancy in the US since WW2. The pandemic still continues so there has been a continuing drop in life expectancy. Life expectancy at birth for males was 75.1 years in the first half of 2020, representing a decline of 1.2 years from 76.3 years in 2019. For females, life expectancy declined to 80.5 years, decreasing 0.9 year from 81.4 years in 2019.

The spanish flu of 1918 caused a life expectancy decline of 11.8 years from 1917 to 1918. It brought average life spans down to 39 years. But it fully rebounded the following year as deaths eased.

The CDC report is only up to mid-2020, so the final impact for 2020 and for 2021 will be higher. It could be a 2 to 4 year drop overall. We will not know until the pandemic and virus variants are overcome or managed below the level of flu. Another study up to October, 2020 when total US COVID deaths were 210,000 indicated a life expectancy drop of 1.18 years. there has now been another 320,000 deaths and at least 100,000 to 500,000 more expected for 2021.

SOURCES= CDC, PNAS
Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com

16 thoughts on “US Life Expectancy Has Biggest Drop Since WW2”

  1. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2024777118

    "A 4-y college degree is increasingly the key to good jobs and, ultimately, to good lives in an ever-more meritocratic and unequal society. The bachelor’s degree (BA) is increasingly dividing Americans; the one-third with a BA or more live longer and more prosperous lives, while the two-thirds without face rising mortality and declining prospects…"

  4. Just for the lovers of freedom of expression..
    The comment that murder-supporter Brian censored below was me saying that many of the people who died of COVID were Trump supporters
    Factually true, still murder-supporter Brian does not like much facts.
    Ah, Maduro is still President, sorry Brian

    Just saying!

    Da lu.khe

  6. But it is hard to make food as unhealthy as fast food. And people are probably finding alternatives to soda. That can be harder when eating out unless they really like water.
    The onion farmers were in tears (an interesting turn about) because they were selling onions to fast food restaurants and family restaurants that make and sell onion rings, but they were not buying much, because people were not eating out. I suspect the potato farmers were in the same slump. Probably the okra farmers in the South had the same drop off.
    If there was a drop off of KFC eating, then that would certainly save lives. Most people are not frying chicken under pressure like that. There probably wasn't 🙁
    I gotta say you are probably right overall. The alcohol alone was enough to damage the health of many people. And if people are eating bacon, Cheetos, ice cream and cookies every day to brighten their lonely boring lives, and appease their kids, that will take a toll.
    Being down to cheap hot dogs and noodle ramen can't help either.

  7. Agreed. Probably more about being an extension/ extrapolation of previous 'life expectancy at birth' statistical data from previous years. More the Trend than the Truth.

  8. Calling this "life expectancy at birth" is a bit silly. People dying this year and last have very little to do with how long people born this year and next will live. If anything, this disaster will lengthen their lives by increasing investment and focus on battling viruses. The common cold may get a universal vaccine, same with flu, and who knows what in their lifetimes.
    The increased concern about contagion in the general population is good too. This should reduce the spread of all sorts of things. And these things do contribute to shorter lives. Cytomegalovirus shortens lives by tiring out the immune system, and almost certainly other related viruses do as well. Alzheimer's is likely at least triggered if not caused by pathogens. Diabetes may be caused by an immune reaction to staph but more common in the overweight because staph likes skin folds.
    A life expectancy of 97 or more is more likely.

  10. Mostly due to Big Pharma's suppression of ivermectin which has higher prophylactic efficacy than J&J vaccine for pennies per dose (not to mention its therapeutic benefits).

  11. I would have guessed that Medicare/ Medicaid expenditures out of tax coffers would be orders of magnitude greater than any savings on early-death pension liablity savings.

  12. Even more interesting are the various causes of non-covid death for each age group over the last full year – suicides and overdoses and home accidents and emergency issues not resolved due to limited hospital access for working age, way, way up. Also, steep reduction in health levels for each age group – weight gain, cholesterol levels, overworking livers, reduced movement/ exercise and mental illness-driven activity drops. Not sure how to quantify the huge 'health span' drop – claims? post-covid hospital visits? early disability leaves? The 500k deaths with the remaining 100k+ more over the year to go nowhere near quantifying the human tragedy of the 2020/21.

  14. As the old and frail die, I would expect life expectancy to bounce to higher levels than before.

  15. Perhaps more importantly, a disproportionate number of covid casualties are social security, and pension recipients. Sort of convenient for all the first world nations with large pension liabilities.

Comments are closed.