Covid Stole 28 Million Years of Life From 31 Countries Last Year

The pandemic’s effects on mortality have been uneven. Life expectancy dipped in most places last year, shaving 28.1 million years off the cumulative longevity in 31 countries. But residents of a handful of places that successfully kept Covid-19 at bay -- including New Zealand and Taiwan -- actually lived longer.

Life expectancy is an indication of how long on average people will live once their age is taken into account, provided that there aren’t any big shifts in the number of people dying in each age bracket over time. Another measure -- excess years of life lost -- quantifies the impact when those changes do occur, and gives greater weight to deaths that occur at younger ages.