American life expectancy has fallen sharply, Switzerland leads the list

Recent data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that the average life expectancy in the bloc and partner countries is 80.3 years.

(Source: Health & Life)

Switzerland is at the top (83.9 years) and Latvia is at the bottom (73.1 years). On average, women live longer than men. The gender gap is 5.4 years: women (83 years) compared to men (77.6 years).

According to the OECD, American life expectancy has plummeted to its lowest level in nearly 30 years. With an average life expectancy of 76.4 years, the United States is eclipsed by most other developed countries.

The World Bank (WB) estimates that the US recorded such a lower life expectancy in 1996, 27 years ago.

Of the 48 countries surveyed, the United States ranked 34th. In 2003, it ranked 10th. That change put the country in the top six countries with the largest decline in life expectancy.

Life expectancy in OECD and partner countries has fallen by 0.7 years due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This figure will start to rise again in 2022. However, the report notes that the increase started slowly even before the pandemic, especially for women.

According to the NY Post , heart disease (the leading cause of death in Americans), stroke, obesity, and diabetes (cases of which are expected to double by 2050) are the major diseases affecting the health of people worldwide.

Air pollution, smoking and alcohol consumption are considered the leading risk factors hindering increased life expectancy.

“The United States may be one of the richest countries in the world and certainly spends more on health care than any other country, but it is sicker and has a lower life expectancy than people in dozens of countries,” said Dr. Steven Woolf, who echoed the OECD report.

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