- A new CDC report reveals a rise in US life expectancy to 77.5 years in 2022, up from 76.4 in 2021, marking the first increase after two years of decline.
- Despite this uptick, life expectancy has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels of 78.8 years.
- The report also notes shifts in leading causes of death and an increase in infant mortality rates.
In a significant turnaround, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that life expectancy in the United States has increased for the first time in two years. The report, released on Thursday, indicates that individuals born in the US in 2022 have an anticipated lifespan of 77.5 years, an improvement from 76.4 years in 2021. This development reverses the declining trend observed in 2020 and 2021, predominantly attributed to COVID-19 and drug overdose fatalities. The lowest point was recorded in 2021 when life expectancy dropped to its nadir since 1996 at 76.4 years, down from 77 years.
Notably, life expectancy has yet to rebound to the levels seen before the pandemic; in 2019, the figure stood at 78.8 years. The report also highlights a shift in the leading causes of death: COVID-19 fell to the fourth position in 2022, overtaken by unintentional injuries, while heart disease and cancer continue to be the foremost causes of mortality in the country.
Despite these changes, the overall infant mortality rate has seen a concerning rise of 3.1 percent in 2022. There has been a 12 percent increase in death rates among 1- to 4-year-olds and a 7 percent increase among 5- to 14-year-olds. Leading causes of infant death include low birth weight, congenital malformations, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Another report released by the CDC on the same day points out a stabilization in overdose deaths between 2021 and 2022, after nearly quadrupling over the past two decades. The rate of drug overdose fatalities barely changed, from 32.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021 to 32.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2022. However, deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl saw a 4.1 percent increase, while heroin and methadone rates declined. Conversely, cocaine and psychostimulants such as methamphetamine experienced an uptick in overdose deaths.
These findings illustrate the complex health landscape in the US, marked by modest gains in life expectancy amid ongoing challenges in public health and safety.
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