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U.S. life expectancy increased significantly in 2023, reaching 78.4 years, the highest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This marks a nearly one-year rise from 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The improvement is largely attributed to a sharp decline in COVID-19 and drug overdose deaths.
COVID-19 deaths dropped dramatically, moving from the fourth to the tenth leading cause of death. The death rate for COVID-19 fell to about 12 per 100,000 people, a quarter of the previous year's rate. Dr. Steven Woolf, director emeritus of the Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Society and Health, told CNN that the control of COVID-19 mortality through vaccination played a significant role in this increase in life expectancy.
Drug overdose deaths also decreased by 4% in 2023, marking the first decline in over five years. Efforts to distribute naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug, and increase access to addiction treatments contributed to this reduction. Dr. Joshua Sharfstein from Johns Hopkins University highlighted these strategies as effective in reducing overdose deaths.
"These strategies to help people who are using drugs avoid dying from fentanyl are beginning to pay off," Sharfstein told USA TODAY.
The CDC's data showed that death rates decreased for nine of the top ten causes of death, with cancer being the exception. Heart disease remained the leading cause of death, followed by cancer, accidents, stroke, and respiratory diseases.
Despite these positive trends, Woolf cautioned that U.S. life expectancy still lags behind other high-income countries. He emphasized that the U.S. must address underlying health issues to improve longevity further.