World's life expectancy is lowest in over a decade due to Covid: WHO

The global life expectancy is lowest in over a decade, World Health Organization suggested in a report on Friday (May 24). The average age that a person is expected to live is now at 71.4 years, meaning that nearly a decade of gains in improving global life expectancy was lost.

Covid and life expectancy: What is the link?

World Health Organization's World Health Statistics report pointed out that between 2019 and 2021, global life expectancy fell by 1.8 years to 71.4 years, while healthy life expectancy declined by 1.5 years to 61.9 years.

The Americas and Southeast Asia regions were hit hardest, with life expectancy dropping by about 3 years.

“In just two years, the Covid-19 pandemic erased a decade of gains in life expectancy,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He noted the importance of a new Pandemic Agreement “not only to strengthen global health security, but to protect long-term investments in health and promote equity”.

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Covid was attributed as top cause of death, ranking third globally in 2020 and second in 2021, claiming nearly 13 million lives.

The World Health Organization report also mentions that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as ischaemic heart disease and stroke, cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and diabetes killed most people before the pandemic. They accounted for 74 per cent of all deaths in 2019.

Even during the Covid pandemic, the Non Communicable Diseases (NSDs) continued to account for 78 per cent of non-COVID deaths.

Refugees, migrants and the 1.3 billion people living with disabilities faced disproportionate health inequities, the report said.

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It pointed out that access to healthcare for refugees and migrants remains limited. Only half of the 84 countries surveyed between 2018 and 2021 provided government-funded health services to these groups at levels comparable to their citizens.

What is the silver-line?

Since 2018, 1.5 billion more people achieved better health and well-being, while universal health coverage expanded to 585 million more. But only 777 million more are likely to have adequate protection during health emergencies by 2025.

“Without accelerating progress, it is unlikely that any of the health SDGs will be met by 2030,” Samira Asma, WHO assistant director-general for data, analytics and delivery for impact, said in an official statement.

(With inputs from agencies)