Pandemic probably caused biggest drop in US life expectancy since 1945 – study

• Worse declines for Black and Hispanic Americans
• Decline to exacerbate gap between US and developed nations

The coronavirus pandemic probably caused the worst decline in life expectancy in the US since the second world war, with disproportionately worse declines for Black and Hispanic Americans, new research published in the British Medical Journal has found.

Between 2018 and 2020, life expectancy for Americans declined 1.87 years, 8.5 times worse than the average decline in life expectancy in 16 peer nations, and the most precipitous decline since the second world war.