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Following two years of decline, life expectancy in the United States saw an uptick in 2022. This was according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The report revealed that life expectancy at birth reached 77.5 years, marking an increase of 1.1 years from the previous year.
Despite not yet reaching pre-pandemic levels, this increase is a positive sign, accompanied by a decrease in the total number of deaths recorded in the U.S. in 2022, with approximately 184,374 fewer deaths compared to 2021. The overall death rate also saw a notable drop of 9.2%.
Covid Drops Down
While the top 10 leading causes of death remained consistent, there were shifts in rankings. Notably, COVID-19 fell to the fourth-leading cause of death, while unintentional injuries climbed to the third spot. Additionally, deaths attributed to COVID-19 decreased significantly in 2022.
Demographic Shifts
Across demographic groups, both males and females experienced an increase in life expectancy, with males seeing a rise of 1.3 years and females 0.9 years. Furthermore, every racial/ethnic group witnessed a decrease in death rates, though there were increases in death rates among children and infants. This increase was due to factors like homicides, accidental drug overdoses, car accidents, and suicides.
Infant mortality rates also saw a slight increase, with congenital malformations being the leading cause of infant death. However, the top 10 leading causes of death accounted for the majority of infant deaths in the U.S. in 2022. In a separate report, drug overdose death rates showed little change from 2021 to 2022. This was despite the concerning trend of increasing synthetic opioid-related deaths, such as those involving fentanyl.
While the rebound in life expectancy offers a glimmer of hope, there are still ongoing challenges! This underscores the need for continued efforts to address underlying health issues and promote public health initiatives.
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