US life expectancy climbs, but remains below pre-pandemic levels

Newborn babies fill the nursery of a postpartum recovery center in upstate New York. U.S. [AP Photo]

Life expectancy in the United States is on the rise but remains lower than it was in the years before the Covid-19 pandemic, as a host of other factors contributing to mortality, including chronic disease, gun violence and a persistent epidemic of overdose deaths, continue to plague the country.

According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, an American born in 2022 could expect to live 77.5 years on average, up 1.1 years from 2021, with most of the improvement accounted for by the reduction in Covid-19 deaths.