Life expectancy for Americans born in 2021 was just 76.4 years, the lowest in a quarter-century, according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The life expectancy was down 0.6 years from 2020, and 2.4 years from 2019.
It has not been so low since 1996, when it was 76.1 years.
Males, continuing a past trend, born in 2021 had a lower life expectancy than females—73.5, compared with 79.3. Males’ life expectancy decreased slightly more than females, pushing the gap between the sexes to 5.8 years.
Nine of the top 10 leading causes of death in 2021 remained the same as in 2020. Influenza and pneumonia exited the top 10 in 2021, replaced by chronic liver disease and cirrhosis….