Dec 22, 2021 - Health
Death rates for adults shot up in 2020
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Death rates increased for each age group 15 years and older in 2020, according to the CDC's final 2020 death data released Wednesday.
Why it matters: The data reflects the impact of COVID-related illness last year, as well as increases in such other causes of death as unintentional injuries.
By the numbers: Life expectancy for the U.S. population in 2020 was 77 years, a decrease of 1.8 years from 2019.
- "In 2020, a total of 3,383,729 resident deaths were registered in the United States — 528,891 more deaths than in 2019," the CDC said.
- COVID-19 was responsible for the deaths of 350,831 people, approximately 10.4% of the total number of deaths last year
Between the lines: The drop was 0.3 years more than previous CDC estimates, which indicated that life expectancy had dropped by a year and a half last year. The decrease is still the biggest since World War II.
