Average life expectancy in the United States has been reduced by synthetic opioid overdoses and Covid-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today.
According to CDC reports, life expectancy fell for the second year in a row from 77 years to 76.4 years, bringing the statistic to the same level as in 1996.
Every age group in the nation experienced the same decline, including women, whose average life span is 79.9 years, six years longer than men.
Almost all racial groups also had increases in mortality rates, with the exception of non-Hispanic Asian males and non-Hispanic Black males, who saw a slight decrease.
The leading causes of death include heart disease, followed by cancer and Covid-19, which claimed nearly 417,000 lives last year, an 18.8 percent increase from 2020.
The number of drug overdose deaths has also increased in the United States over the past two decades, according to the CDC.
In 2021, drug overdoses were responsible for 106,699 deaths, and according to the data, death rates were increasing for every race and group of Hispanic origins.
In 2021, there was a 14 percent increase from 2020, mainly driven by the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl.
Meanwhile, deaths from methamphetamine and cocaine also rose sharply over the past year, the CDC said.