Global life expectancy returns to pre-pandemic levels but major health challenges remain, study says

Global life expectancy has returned to pre-pandemic levels, but major disparities remain by region, according to a major new study.

COVID-19 quickly became the top cause of death worldwide when the pandemic swept the globe in 2020, dragging down life expectancy with it. People born in 2021 could expect to live to 71.7 on average.

But by 2023, COVID-19 had sunk to the 20th leading cause of death, behind a handful of chronic illnesses, Alzheimer’s disease, and neonatal disorders. Global life expectancy rebounded to 73.8 years.

Chronic diseases now account for nearly two-thirds of death and illness worldwide, led by heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, according to the research published in The Lancet medical journal.

Risk factors such as obesity, smoking, and air pollution play a major role in driving chronic disease – and if they were addressed, nearly half of all deaths and disability globally could be prevented, the researchers estimated.

“The rapid growth in the world’s ageing population and evolving risk factors have ushered in a new era of global health challenges,” said Dr Christopher Murray, director of the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), which led the study.

Working with collaborators across the globe, Murray’s team analysed data for 375 diseases and injuries and 88 risk factors for 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2023.

They broke out data for five large European countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Heart disease was the leading cause of death in each of those countries in 2023 – except France, where lung cancer topped the list.

Life expectancy was also much higher in these five European countries than elsewhere in the world, ranging from 80.9 years in Germany to 83.2 years in Spain.

The researchers also raised concerns about rising death rates among teenagers and young adults in North America and Latin America due to suicide and drug and alcohol consumption, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa due to infectious diseases and accidents.

The findings should serve as a “wake-up call” for government and health leaders “to respond swiftly and strategically to the disturbing trends that are reshaping public health needs,” Murray said.