Global life expectancy returns to pre-pandemic levels - European countries with the highest average. Spain leads
Global life expectancy has returned to pre-pandemic levels, but large differences between regions remain, according to a new study. COVID-19 quickly became the leading cause of death worldwide when the pandemic swept the globe in 2020, reducing life expectancy to an average of 71.7 years for people born in 2021.
But in 2023, COVID-19 fell to 20th place as a cause of death, behind several chronic diseases, Alzheimer's disease and neonatal disorders. Global life expectancy increased to 73.8 years.
Chronic diseases now account for approximately two-thirds of deaths and illnesses in the world, led by heart disease, stroke and diabetes, according to the study published in the medical journal The Lancet.
Risk factors such as obesity, smoking and air pollution play a major role in the spread of chronic diseases. If these factors were addressed, almost half of the world's deaths could be prevented, researchers estimate.
"The rapid growth of the world's aging population and changes in risk factors have opened a new era of challenges for global health," the researchers say.
The team analyzed data on 375 diseases and injuries, as well as 88 risk factors for 204 countries starting in 1990.
The focus was primarily on five major European countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Heart disease was the leading cause of death in each of these countries, except for France, where lung cancer topped the list.
Life expectancy in these five countries was also much higher than in the rest of the world, ranging from 80.9 years in Germany to 83.2 years in Spain.
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