US life expectancy is at a 25-year low, according to recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2021, the average life expectancy at birth dropped 0.9 years from 77.0 in 2020 to 76.1. The decrease in life expectancy is primarily due to excess deaths caused by COVID-19.
The CDC’s life expectancy figure is a projection of the average age of death for people born today based on current death rates and health conditions. The life expectancy decrease indicates that US health is decreasing.