Covid has shortened life expectancy (Picture: Getty)
Covid-19 keeps on taking, as the disease has now caused the average life expectancy of people to fall worldwide.
Researchers from the Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) said the average life expectancy will now fall by 1.6 years, more than had previously been expected, a sharp reversal of a decades-long rise in global life expectancy.
‘For adults worldwide, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a more profound impact than any event seen in half a century, including conflicts and natural disasters,’ said lead author Dr Austin Schumacher, an IHME researcher.
They found that during the 2020-2022 pandemic, life expectancy declined in 84% of the 204 countries and territories analysed.
The rate of death of people over the age of 15 rose by 22% for men and 17% for women during this time, the researchers estimated. Mexico City and two countries in South America, Peru and Bolivia, were some of the places where life expectancy fell the most.
These startling figures ‘demonstrated the devastating potential impacts’ of new viruses, Dr Schumacher said.
Life expectancy dropped 84% of the 204 places analysed (Picture: Getty)
Covid was responsible for 15.9 million excess deaths both directly and indirectly due to pandemic-related disruptions, which is a million more excess deaths previously estimated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Islands like Barbados, New Zealand and Antigua and Barbuda reported the lowest rate of excess deaths during the pandemic, which could be due to their isolated nature.
Areas with the highest number of excess deaths included Jordan and Nicaragua.
However, despite the setback, people still live longer than they used to. Between 1950 and 2021, the average life expectancy at birth has risen by 23 years, from 49 to 72, the researchers said.
The researchers also found that half a million fewer children under the age of five died in 2021 compared to 2019.
Infant mortality decreased during the pandemic (Picture: Getty)
IHME researcher and co-author Dr Hmwe Hmwe Kyu hailed it as ‘incredible progress.’
‘Our study suggests that, even after taking stock of the terrible loss of lives the world experienced due to the pandemic, we have made incredible progress over 72 years since 1950, with child mortality continuing to drop globally,’ said Dr Kyu.
‘Now, continuing to build on our successes, while preparing for the next pandemic and addressing the vast disparities in health across countries, should be our greatest focuses.’
The study also revealed that the populations of ageing well-off countries have started to decrease, but in less wealthy countries the number is increasing.
Dr Schumacher warned this dynamic ‘will bring about unprecedented social, economic, and political challenges, such as labour shortages in areas where younger populations are shrinking and resource scarcity in places where population size continues to expand rapidly’.
‘Nations around the world will need to cooperate on voluntary emigration,’ he added.
The study is published journal The Lancet.