During the pandemic in some countries, life expectancy fell sharply. In Western Europe, it has fallen to a level not seen since World War II. In some countries, all the progress made in prolonging human life for decades has been eliminated in a very short time, say scientists from the Center for Demographic Sciences at Leverhull, Oxford University, which is one of the most famous in the world. The researchers published their study in the International Journal of Epidemiology. According to him, the average life expectancy of men has decreased to a greater extent than women.
This is most dramatic in the United States
Oxford scientists analyzed data from 29 countries, most of which are European. Outside Europe, they studied the situation in the United States and Chile. In the 27 countries surveyed, life expectancy has decreased in 2020, and in 22 of them this reduction is at least six months. “In Western European countries such as Spain, England, Wales, Italy or Belgium, such low life expectancy was last seen during World War II,” said study author Jose Manuel Aburto.
In Eastern Europe, life expectancy was particularly short. In Bulgaria, Lithuania and Poland in 2020, men “lost” 1.2 years of their lives.
The average life expectancy of men in the United States has fallen the most: compared to 2019, they live an average of 2.2 years less. In most European countries, mortality has increased in the age group over 60 years. Back in June, a study published in the British Medical Journal found a sharp decline in life expectancy in the United States.
Life expectancy is the statistically expected period of time during which a newborn remains until his or her future death. This period is usually calculated using tables of empirical data on past deaths and their frequency, as well as model assumptions for future changes. That is, “life expectancy” in the cited studies refers to the age that a newborn is likely to reach if mortality remains at the same level as at birth. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in August 2021, this average duration for Germany was 78.6 years for newborn boys and 83.4 years for newborn girls. The facts also show that mortality has increased in 2020, especially in the age group over 70 – both men and women.
Already more than 4.7 million victims
The Hopkins University estimates that the coronavirus has claimed at least 4.7 million lives since the beginning of the pandemic. Almost 59,000 people have already died in Ukraine, only yesterday 217 people died in the country.