U.S. newborns in 2022 have seen an increase in life expectancy, a positive shift after two years of decline primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the latest federal data, life expectancy at birth for 2022 is 77.5 years, up from 76.4 in 2021, but still below the 78.8 years for those born in 2019, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Elizabeth Arias, a CDC researcher, noted that it would take time to return to pre-pandemic levels. The study based its estimates on the assumption that mortality rates at birth would remain constant throughout the individuals’ lives.
Significant improvements were observed across all racial and gender groups. American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic newborns saw the most considerable increase, with life expectancy rising by 2.3 years, from 65.6 to 67.9. Hispanic newborns followed with a 2.2-year increase, from 77.8 to 80. Black non-Hispanic Americans, heavily impacted by the pandemic, experienced a 1.6-year increase, from 71.2 to 72.8, mainly due to reduced mortality from COVID-19, heart disease, homicide, diabetes, and cancer.
Asian non-Hispanic infants’ life expectancy rose by 1 year to 84.5, and White non-Hispanic babies saw an increase of 0.8 year to 77.5. Over 80% of these increases are attributed to declines in COVID-related deaths. Other factors like reduced mortality from heart disease, unintentional injuries, cancer, and homicide also played a role, though their impact varied among groups.
For non-Hispanic Black infants, improvements were somewhat offset by rising mortality due to perinatal conditions, congenital malformations, kidney disease, nutritional deficiencies, and legal intervention.
The gender gap in life expectancy also narrowed, with the difference between males and females reducing to 5.4 years in 2022, down from 5.8 in 2021. However, the 2022 data is provisional and subject to change, with limitations including variations in the timeliness of death certificate submissions across jurisdictions.
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