A new analysis found life expectancy in the United States continued to decrease in 2021, though not as significantly as in 2020.
The study, posted online Tuesday but not yet peer-reviewed, predicts life expectancy dropped to 76.60 years in 2021 from 76.99 years in 2020.
It is the second year in a row the life expectancy significantly dropped, with the study pointing out in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the life expectancy in the U.S. was 78.86 years.
The significant drops amid the coronavirus pandemic come as more than 900,000 Americans have died from the virus in the past two years.
However, the drop in life expectancy that occurred in 2020 and 2021 varied among different racial and ethnic groups.
The study found the drop in life expectancy in 2021 was driven by white Americans, a change from 2020 when Hispanic and Black individuals’ life expectancy fell the most.
Last year saw white Americans life expectancy decline by 0.34 years, a drop that had disproportionately affected men. The Hispanic population saw a statistically insignificant increase while Black individuals had an increase of 0.42 years.
The authors said it is not immediately clear why the white population had a drop in life expectancy in 2021, but said several factors likely contributed.
This was a switch from 2020, when Black and Hispanic populations had the biggest drops in life expectancy due to the disproportionate effect the pandemic had on those communities.
The overall decrease in life expectancy throughout the pandemic was 2.26 years, according to the study, with the Hispanic population down 3.65 years, Black population down 2.80 years and white population down 1.72 years.
“Although highly effective COVID-19 vaccines became available in 2021, their uptake was limited by public skepticism and inadequacies in distribution and access,” the authors wrote.
With millions of Americans now fully vaccinated against the virus, there is hope the numbers will increase after 2022.
COVID-19 cases have decreased in the U.S. in 2022, with states dropping mask mandates and social distancing requirements.
