Life expectancy around the world is at pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, new research shows. Still, disparities among different populations remain, with rising rates of deaths among adolescents and young adults in certain areas.
This research was done as part of The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study. A team at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and the GBD Collaborator Network, which consists of 16,500 scientists and researchers, looked at data on 375 diseases and injuries from 204 countries and territories and 660 subnational locations. They also examined 88 risk factors by age and sex.
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According to the results of the study, which were published in “The Lancet” scientific journal in October and presented at the World Health Summit in Berlin, the average life expectancy for women was 76.3 in 2023. For men, it was 71.5 years. During the peak of the pandemic, women’s life expectancy was 74.7, and men’s was 69.3.
In 2021, COVID-19 was the number one cause of death globally; by 2023 it was the 20th. Heart disease and stroke returned to their positions as the two leading causes of death worldwide, though researchers noted that there’s been progress in reducing their mortality rates. There have also been declines in deaths from diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, stomach cancer and measles.
Currently, “non-communicable diseases” account for nearly two-thirds of the worlds’ total mortality and morbidity. Almost half of all death and disability, researchers say, can be prevented by making lifestyle changes such as reducing one’s blood sugar levels and high body mass index.
“The rapid growth in the world’s aging population and evolving risk factors have ushered in a new era of global health challenges,” Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the IHME at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said in a statement. “The evidence presented in the Global Burden of Disease study is a wake-up call, urging government and health care leaders to respond swiftly and strategically to the disturbing trends that are reshaping public health needs.”
Disparities persist despite some progress
While life expectancies increased by 20 years since 1950, “stark geographic differences remain” according to study authors. High income areas can see life expectancy rates as high as 83 years. In sub-Saharan Africa, they are as low as 62 years.
Sub-Saharan Africa, along with high-income North America and eastern Europe, are seeing what researchers are calling an “an emerging crisis of higher death rates” in adolescents and young adults.
Researchers attributed this to “infectious diseases and unintentional injuries” in sub-saharan Africa, while the increasing death rates in high-income North America and eastern Europe were due to suicide and substance use.
Mortality rates for those aged 5-14 in North America went up by 11.5%; by 31.7% for those 25-29 years old and 49.9% for 30 to 39-year-olds between 2011 and 2023, data showed.
Eastern Europe saw the largest increases in mortality rates for those 15-19 years old (53.9%) and 20–24 years of age (40.1%) during that same time period.
Sub-Saharan Africa had the largest change in estimated age-specific mortality rates compared to previous estimates from 2021. Mortality rates for all sexes aged 5-14 in sub-Saharan Africa were 87.3% higher than 2021 estimates. For women ages 15 to 29, they were 61.2% higher.
Infant deaths dropped more than any other age group. East Asia saw the biggest decline for the children under five, which researchers said was because of better nutrition, vaccines and stronger health systems.
“Decades of work to close the gap in low-income regions with persistent health inequities are in danger of unraveling due to the recent cuts to international aid,” Emmanuela Gakidou, senior author of the study and a professor at IHME, said in a statement. “These countries rely on global health funding for life-saving primary care, medicine, and vaccines. Without it, the gap is sure to widen.”
