American life expectancy will drop by almost a year in 2021 after losing a year and a half in 2020, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, US health authorities announced on Wednesday, AFP reported.

According to preliminary data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it was 76.1 last year, the lowest level since 1996, Agerpres reported.

This is the largest fall in two consecutive years since 1921-1923.

By comparison, life expectancy for Americans was 77 years in 2020, up from 78.8 years in 2019.

“The decline in life expectancy after 2019 is largely due to the pandemic,” the CDC writes.

Deaths related to COVID-19 accounted for three-quarters of the decline in 2020 and half of the decline in 2021.

The nearly 15% decrease recorded in 2021 can also be attributed to an increase in deaths related to “accidents and unintentional injuries,” including overdoses.

The gap between male and female life expectancy increased from 5.7 years in 2020 to 5.9 years in 2021, according to US health authorities. This is the largest gap recorded since 1996.

Thus, the life expectancy for American women in 2021 was 79.1 years, and for men it was 73.2 years.

The largest decline in life expectancy in 2021 was seen among Native Americans (-1.9 years compared to 2020), followed by whites (-1 year) and African Americans (-0.7 years).

Life expectancy for Native Americans in 2021 was just 65.2 years, compared to 70.8 years for blacks and 76.4 for whites.

According to a preliminary CDC report, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2021, as it was in 2020, after cardiovascular disease and cancer.