Global life expectancy nears pre-pandemic levels, but healthy years lag

cp24.com — October 2, 2026 at 05:01 PM UTC

Global life expectancy nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, reaching 73.3 years, close to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019, according to a World Health Organization report released Friday. Healthy life expectancy recovered more slowly, standing at 62.8 years in 2023, still 0.4 years below 2019 levels. Dementia deaths have tripled, and anxiety-related health loss has risen sharply since the pandemic. Noncommunicable diseases now account for 74 percent of global deaths, up from 58 percent in 2000. Ischaemic heart disease remains the top killer, while COVID-19 dropped out of the top 10 causes for the first time since 2020.

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