Covid-19 pandemic drives US life expectancy fall

Life expectancy in the United States declined by a year-and-a-half during 2020, according to health officials.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data showed the average US lifespan dropped from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77.3 years in 2020.

The 2020 drop is the sharpest annual decline seen since World War Two.

The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) report said the overall average age of 77.3 years was the lowest seen since 2003.

The report primarily attributes the decline to increased deaths due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report, released on Tuesday, also noted that racial and ethnic disparities in life expectancy had grown during the pandemic.

Hispanic men saw the sharpest decline - with 3.7 years knocked off their average life expectancy within the year alone.

Black American men also saw a 3.3-year drop, down to an average of just 68 years.

US life expectancy has biggest fall since WW27