WHO COVID Causes 2-Year Global Life Expectancy Decline

Geneva: The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to global life expectancy, erasing nearly two years of progress achieved between 2019 and 2021, stated the World Health Organization (WHO) in its annual world health statistics study released on Friday. This regression marks a stark reversal in the steady upward trajectory observed in life expectancy at birth and healthy life expectancy at birth prior to the pandemic, according to the UN health agency.

As per the WHO report, global life expectancy dropped by 1.8 years to 71.4 years, reverting to levels last seen in 2012. Similarly, the average duration of healthy life expectancy saw a decline of 1.5 years, reaching 61.9 years, also matching the levels recorded in 2012.

These findings paint a grimmer picture than a previous study published by The Lancet in January, which reported a global average life expectancy decline of 1.6 years during the pandemic. Researchers from The Lancet emphasized that COVID-19 had a more profound impact on life expectancy than any other event in the past fifty years.

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Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, underscored the significance of the ongoing negotiations in Geneva regarding a global pandemic security agreement. He stressed the need to bolster global health security while safeguarding long-term health investments and promoting equity within and between nations.

According to estimates by The Lancet, COVID-19 contributed to 15.9 million excess deaths during the period of 2020-2021, stemming from the virus itself or disruptions to healthcare systems caused by the pandemic.

However, the WHO study revealed variations in the impact of COVID-19 on life expectancy across different regions. The Americas and Southeast Asia experienced the most significant declines, with life expectancy dropping by approximately three years. Conversely, the Western Pacific region witnessed a minimal decline of just 0.1 year in life expectancy.