Key points from article :
US life expectancy has fallen to the lowest level seen since 1996, continuing a steep decline largely driven by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Government data showed life expectancy at birth now stands at 76.1 compared to 79 in 2019.
According to the provisional data, life expectancy fell by 2.7 years between 2019 and 2021.
The statistics show that Covid-19 accounted for 50% of the decline between 2020 and 2021.
Unintentional injuries - (also including drug overdoses) - reached record highs in 2021 and contributed to 15.9% of the decline.
The CDC statistics - the life expectancy of men fell by about a year to 73.2 in 2021 while women's life expectancy fell by 10 months to 79.1.
2020 data - significant geographical differences across the country with life expectancy in Hawaii highest at 80.7, compared to 71.9 years in Mississippi.
Life expectancy in the US is among the lowest of developed nations around the world.
In the UK, life expectancy stood at around 79 for men and 82.9 for women in 2020 after it fell for the first time in 40 years.
According to the World Bank, Hong Kong and Japan have the world's highest life expectancies at around 85 followed by Singapore at 84.
Life expectancy in countries including Switzerland, Australia, Norway hovers at around 83.
