A patient receives a flu and COVID-19 vaccination at a clinic in Pasadena, California, in 2023.
Dec. 19, 2024, 11:01 AM GMT+6U.S. life expectancy increased to 78.4 years in 2023, the highest since 2019, largely due to a significant decline in Covid-related deaths. Covid, which was the fourth-leading cause of death in 2022, dropped to the 10th position in 2023. Drug overdose deaths also decreased, marking the first decline since 2018.
The CDC report revealed that life expectancy at birth rose by nearly a year, from 77.5 years in 2022 to 78.4 years in 2023. Ken Kochanek, a statistician at the National Center for Health Statistics, highlighted that this increase is unprecedented, given that life expectancy typically fluctuates only slightly from year to year.
From 2019 to 2021, life expectancy dropped significantly, primarily due to the pandemic, which caused a sharp decrease in life expectancy. Covid-related deaths fell dramatically in 2023, with the virus accounting for over 76,000 deaths compared to over 350,000 in 2020. Despite Covid’s decline, heart disease and cancer remained the top two leading causes of death, together representing 40% of all deaths in 2023.
The report also noted a 6% decrease in the overall U.S. death rate, and a decrease in overdose deaths for the first time in five years, with a notable reduction in opioid-related deaths. However, deaths related to cocaine and methamphetamine saw slight increases.
The decrease in death rates was not uniform across all racial and ethnic groups. Minority populations, such as Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American people, saw more significant declines, especially following the high mortality rates experienced during the pandemic.
While the decrease in Covid deaths is promising, experts caution that the virus is not eradicated and that its long-term impact remains uncertain. Overall, the trend towards rising life expectancy is a positive development, though researchers remain hopeful it will continue.
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