Covid-19 is the second most common cause of death: Why global life expectancy is still increasing

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According to the WHO, global life expectancy increased by a good six years from 2000 to 2019

Photo: Marijan Murat / dpa

According to a study, global life expectancy increased by 6.2 years from 1990 to 2021. However, the corona pandemic led to a decline between 2019 and 2021, write researchers led by Simon Hay from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in the journal “The Lancet”. In their study of the global burden of disease, injury and other risk factors, they list Covid-19 as the second leading cause of death in 2021.

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In 2019, the most common causes of death were the same as in 1990. "In descending order, these were: coronary heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lower respiratory tract infections," says the study. In coronary heart disease, the coronary arteries that supply the muscles with oxygen are narrowed. This can lead to a heart attack.

However, the corona pandemic has shifted the order. According to the study, in 2020 Covid ranked third among the most common causes of death, and in 2021 it even came second, ahead of stroke.

Due to deaths from Covid, global life expectancy reportedly fell by 1.6 years between 2019 and 2021. However, there were clear regional differences: In Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, life expectancy fell the least due to Covid by 0.4 years, and the greatest reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean at 3.6 years.

Fewer deaths from intestinal and respiratory infections

According to the study, a decrease in deaths from intestinal infections such as diarrhea contributed to the overall increase in global life expectancy. This factor is responsible for an increase of 1.1 years in the period under consideration. "The second largest impact is due to the decline in deaths from lower respiratory tract infections, which accounts for 0.9 years of life expectancy gained from 1990 to 2021," it also says. The researchers also cite reduced mortality from strokes and coronary heart disease as central factors.

“Our study paints a nuanced picture of global health,” IHME co-author Liane Ong is quoted as saying in a statement from the institute. "On the one hand, we see the countries' monumental successes in preventing deaths from diarrhea and stroke," she explains.

“At the same time, we see how much the Covid-19 pandemic has set us back.” Absolute global life expectancy is not mentioned in the study. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that it increased by a good 6 years between 2000 and 2019 - from 66.8 to 73.4 years.

The current study is based on mortality estimates for 288 causes of death in more than 200 countries and territories. This was based on more than 56,000 data sources, such as autopsies, censuses and cancer registries. The estimates for Covid were therefore derived from analyzes of excess mortality due to the corona pandemic from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. Overall, the study is based on the expertise of more than 11,000 employees from more than 160 countries and territories, the article says.

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