Apr 12, 2022 - Health

U.S. saw highest death total ever in 2021 largely due to COVID-19

Erin Doherty

Members of Congress participate in a moment of silence for the 900,000 American lives lost to Covid-19 on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. — Members of Congress participate in a moment of silence for the lives lost to Covid-19 on Feb. 7. Photo: Julia Nikhinson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The U.S. experienced its highest death total ever in 2021 largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Driving the news: There were more than 3.465 million deaths in 2021 — about 80,000 more than 2020′s record-setting total, AP reports.

There were more than 415,000 deaths from COVID in 2021, up from 351,000 the year prior.
The crude death rate for cancer increased modestly, in addition to increases in deaths from diabetes, chronic liver disease and stroke.

Between the lines: Deaths from drug overdoses also contributed to the record-breaking death total in 2021, per AP.

Experts attribute the spike in drug overdose deaths — which rose particularly among 14- to 18-year-olds — to an increase in fentanyl, which researchers say "have been increasingly added to counterfeit pills resembling prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, and other drugs."
Adolescent overdose deaths in the U.S. more than doubled from 2010 to 2021, according to a study released Tuesday in the Journal of American Medical Association.

The big picture: The data comes as the average U.S. life expectancy has fallen by more than two years in 2020 and 2021, according to a study out last week that has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Go deeper: U.S. life expectancy drops — again

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U.S. saw highest death total ever in 2021 largely due to COVID-19

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