US life expectancy is at an 18-year low. The average life expectancy at birth dropped 1.5 years from 78.8 in 2019 to 77.3 in 2020. The decrease in life expectancy is primarily due to the increased mortality rate caused by COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC).
US life expectancy is an estimate of the future based on what is happening currently with the nation’s health. It’s a projection of the average age of death for people born today. The calculation is based on age-specific death rates reported in the year of birth. It is not the same as the average age of death that year.
