KEY POINTS
- Global life expectancy fell by 1.6 years between 2019 and 2021.
- Australia was among 32 countries and territories, out of 204 studied, to record an increase in life expectancy.
- Around 15.9 million deaths were attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.
Global life expectancy fell by 1.6 years during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Australia was one of the few countries where people were still expected to live longer.
A new study published on Tuesday in medical journal The Lancet provides the most comprehensive look at the pandemic's toll on human health so far.
It found almost every country in the world experienced sharp dips in life expectancy in 2020 and 2021, reversing the long-standing trend of people living longer.
Australia and New Zealand were among only 32 countries and territories, out of 204 studied, to record an increase in life expectancy across the first two years of the pandemic.
"For adults worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a more profound impact than any event seen in half a century, including conflicts and natural disasters," the report's co-first author, University of Washington acting assistant professor Austin E Schumacher, said.
"Life expectancy declined in 84 per cent of countries and territories during this pandemic, demonstrating the devastating potential impacts of novel pathogens."
The study also appears to be a vindication of Australia's approach to handling the pandemic.
How Australia bucked a global COVID-19 life expectancy trend | SBS News
