The average lifespan is rising in other developed nations, but not in the U.S.
In 1900, the average life expectancy for Americans was 47 years old. In the last century-plus, that number has risen in fits and spurts. By 1950, the life expectancy had risen to 68 years, and by 2019 it had risen to 79 years.
This shows, at face value, a very obvious trend. As time has passed, more and more people in the United States have gained access to better medical care, higher quality of living, and less exposure to wartime conditions — hence the longer lifespans.
But then something strange happened: the average life expectancy dropped in 2020, and then again in 2021. Over those two years, the number shifted from 79 to 76 years, marking the biggest drop since 1920.
So what gives?
Why American life expectancy has gone down…and down…and down
If you’re thinking about the pandemic-sized elephant in the room, you wouldn’t be wrong. According to the data, which was compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 was one major cause of the drop in life expectancy over the last few years. In 2020, approximately 350,000 people “officially” died of Covid (meaning the virus was considered the underlying cause of death), making it the third leading cause of death overall. In 2021, an additional 415,000 people “officially” died of Covid, making it (again) the third leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer.
It’s no wonder these staggering death counts would impact our average life expectancy. But there’s another epidemic that’s also playing a large factor in this sudden drop in lifespan: the ongoing crisis involving drug overdoses, particularly from opioids like fentanyl.
Over the last 20 years, overdose deaths have skyrocketed in the United States. In 1999, the total number of opioid-related drug deaths was under 10,000, and was evenly divided between men and women. In 2020, that number had risen to 68,630, and men accounted for a vast majority of those deaths.
Unfortunately, experts don’t see any signs that this terrifying trend is going to reverse any time soon. According to the American Medical Association, more than 107,000 drug-related deaths were reported between January 2021 and January 2022 — a devastating signal that this trend continues to rise at unprecedented rates.
How life expectancy changes across sex and race
The average life expectancy changes drastically when you consider the differences across sex, race, class, and more. For example, the average life expectancy for women is still hovering at around 79 years old, while the life expectancy for men has dropped to 73 years old.
This disparity is likely due to a wide range of factors — but it’s worth recognizing a connection to the opioid epidemic. As mentioned above, the majority of opioid-related deaths each year happen to men, not women.
Across racial divides, certain groups experienced bigger dips in life expectancy over the last few years than others. For example, the indigenous population of America saw a stunning 6.6 year drop in their life expectancy, while hispanic and Black Americans saw a drop of four years. This checks out, too, along the opioid and Covid-19 fault lines, as those racial groups were, and continue to be, dying at higher rates than white and asian Americans in those categories.
As for which racial group is living the longest, asian Americans have the highest life expectancy at 83 years old, followed closely by hispanic Americans at 77.7 years old. White Americans sit right at the average life expectancy of 76 years, with Black Americans at 70.8 years.
How American life expectancy stacks up against other developed nations
So the life expectancy for Americans isn’t exactly on a positive trajectory. What about other developed nations? Have their stats dropped as well, due to global issues like Covid, or more domestic issues like the opioid epidemic?
Unfortunately, no. You might be surprised (or woefully unsurprised) to learn that the United States, despite spending more on health care than any other country on the planet, is falling farther and farther behind other developed nations when it comes to life expectancy.
In fact, the citizens of Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Norway, South Korea, Japan, and the United Kingdom all had average life expectancies of 80 years old or higher by 2020. And while plenty of those countries did get walloped by Covid from 2020-2021, studies show that these countries were able to rebound far more effectively than the United States, largely due to successful vaccination campaigns and a general public willingness to undergo preventive measures like masking and social distancing.
Let’s face it: This isn’t exactly the happy-go-lucky news you like to hear heading into the holidays. But it’s worth remembering that this time of year is also one of resolutions and revitalization. It’s the season where we take stock of our life and our decisions, look critically at the good and the bad, and make plans about how we want to improve things moving forward. So maybe this news can spur you onward in your own journey towards better health, whatever that looks like for you.
