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 Covid-19 cut global life expectancy by almost two years, wiping out a decade of progress in just two years from 2019 to 2021.
The UN health agency stated that the pandemic reversed the trend of steady gains in life expectancy at birth and healthy life expectancy at birth. Global life expectancy fell by 1.8 years to 71.4 years, which is the same level as it was back in 2012. Similarly, the amount of time the average person can expect to live in good health also dropped by 1.5 years to 61.9 years in 2021, reaching the 2012 level.
The impact of Covid-19 on life expectancy was even more severe than previously thought, with researchers estimating that the virus caused 15.9 million excess deaths during 2020-2021. The Americas and Southeast Asia were the worst-hit regions, experiencing a three-year drop in life expectancy, while the Western Pacific was the least affected, with only a 0.1-year decrease.
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 findings underscore the urgent need for global cooperation to address the long-term impacts of the pandemic on public health.