Life expectancy almost back to pre-COVID-19 levels, says WHO
Global life expectancy is close to the levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the outlook for years lived in good health is recovering more slowly, the WHO said Friday.
The World Health Organization reports that global life expectancy has almost returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, reaching 73.3 years in 2023—just one year shy of the 73.4 recorded in 2019. Life expectancy had plummeted to 71.5 years in 2021 due to the pandemic's impact. However, the recovery of healthy life expectancy has lagged, sitting at 62.8 years in 2023, 0.4 years below the 2019 figure.
While life years have returned, the WHO emphasizes the need to ensure these additional years are spent in good health. The report highlights that noncommunicable diseases are now responsible for 74% of global deaths, up from 58% in 2000, with ischemic heart disease being the leading cause. Stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease also rank among the top three causes of death.
Dementia deaths have tripled since the pandemic began, while COVID-19 has fallen out of the top 10 leading causes of death, ranking 14th in 2023 with 900,000 deaths.
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