Impact of Covid-19 on Global Life Expectancy: WHO Study

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on global life expectancy, according to a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO). The report revealed that the pandemic caused a nearly two-year decrease in global life expectancy, erasing a decade of progress in just two years.

The WHO study found that global life expectancy fell by 1.8 years to 71.4 years, which is the same level as it was in 2012. Additionally, the amount of time the average person can expect to live in good health also decreased by 1.5 years to 61.9 years in 2021, reaching the 2012 level.

These findings are even more alarming than a previous study published by the Lancet in January, which reported a 1.6-year decrease in average life expectancy during the pandemic. Researchers noted that Covid-19 had a more profound impact on life expectancy than any other event in the past half century.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the importance of strengthening global health security and protecting long-term investments in health to promote equity within and between countries. The Lancet researchers estimated that Covid-19 caused 15.9 million excess deaths during 2020-2021, either from the virus itself or from disruptions to health systems.

While life expectancy did not decrease uniformly around the world, the Americas and Southeast Asia were the worst-hit regions, with life expectancy falling by about three years. In contrast, the Western Pacific region experienced the least impact, with life expectancy decreasing by just 0.1 year.

These findings underscore the urgent need for global cooperation and investment in public health to address the long-term consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on global life expectancy.