New research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) revealed that Americans' life expectancy is expected to increase in the next 30 years, but it’s doing so at a much slower rate than its peer countries.
The study was published in the journal The Lancet.
Life expectancy in the U.S. is projected to increase from 78.3 years in 2022 to 79.9 years in 2035 and to 80.4 years in 2050 for all sexes combined, researchers said.
This miniscule increase lowers the country’s global ranking from 49th in 2022 to 66th in 2050 among the 204 countries and territories included in the latest Global Burden of Disease study, IHME said.
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Drug use disorders, obesity, high blood sugar and high blood pressure are contributing to the decline, researchers said, emphasizing that scientific evidence underscores the “urgent need to prioritize public health.”
The United States has the highest drug use-related mortality rate in the world and more than double the second highest country which is Canada.
According to IHME, the U.S. recorded an 878% increase in the mortality rate from 1990 to 2021 as a result of opioid use disorder, amphetamine use disorder, cocaine use disorder and a group of other drug use disorders.
The study also shows women’s life expectancy is falling faster than men’s in other peer countries.
The global ranking puts the U.S. below almost all high-income and some middle-income countries.
An author of the study called the data “an alarm for immediate action” to find new and better health policies.
