CDC Data Finds Life Expectancy Dropped in 2020, Especially Among Populations of Color

This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a provisional report of life expectancy in the U.S., finding overall life expectancy dropped by more than a year and one half from 78.8 years of age in 2019 to 77.3 years of age in 2020. The decline in life expectancy is the greatest drop since World War II, and life expectancy is the lowest it has been since 2003.

According to the CDC, the decline in life expectancy is largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and unintentional injuries. Racial and ethnic disparities in life expectancy declines were realized, with Hispanic Americans (3.0 years) and African Americans (2.9 years) realizing the greatest declines. White Americans experienced the smallest decline of 1.2 years.

The full CDC report is available here.