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Why are more Americans dying younger?

Get the facts on five startling health trends and learn ways to reduce your risk.

Updated on February 16, 2023

son consoling his father with a hand on his back
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Life expectancy in the United States is on the decline. In 2021, average life expectancy was 76.4 years, a 0.6-year decrease from 2020—and a drop of 2.3 years from 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Death rates increased from 2020 to 2021 for each age group measured, with the largest increases coming among those aged 25 to 34 (anShow More

covid-19 test sample in a lab
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COVID-19 has taken a toll

The pandemic era has had a profound effect on younger Americans. While the vast majority of COVID deaths have been among adults aged 65 and older, nearly 46,000 Americans under 45 have died from COVID, according to CDC data as of February 2023. Research also suggests that significant numbers ofShow More

two people holding hands
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Suicide rates have risen

The U.S. suicide rate increased 4 percent between 2020 and 2021, according to the CDC. Prior to 2020, the rate of suicide in the U.S. was declining. In 2021, suicide accounted for 14 deaths per 100,000 people, up from 13.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020. Rates were higher among males thanShow More

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Opioids have taken large numbers of young people

Drug overdoses have risen sharply over the years. The CDC attributed 91,799 deaths to overdoses in 2020, and the rates were highest for adults aged 35 to 44.

About 75 percent of overdose deaths in 2020 involved opioids, a class of drugs that includes heroin and painkillers such as fentanyl andShow More

a hospital chart with a colon cancer diagnosis
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Colon cancer doesn’t always wait until your 50s

Colon cancer rates have been falling since the mid-1980s, with an alarming exception: cases among people under 50 years old are on the rise. During 2012 to 2016, cases rose by about 2.2 percent each year for people under 50, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). What’s more, deathShow More

hands holding their chest during a heart attack
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Heart attack risk may be higher than you think

Heart disease affects people of all ages, but rates of heart attack have been on the rise among younger people.

A 2020 study published in the American Journal of Medicine found that among more than 2,000 patients under 50 who had a heart attack, almost a quarter (21 percent) were 40 years old orShow More

Slideshow sources open slideshow sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mortality in the United States, 2021. NCHS Data Brief No. 456, December 2022.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mortality in the United States, 2018. NCHS Data Brief No. 355, January 2020.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide Increases in 2021 After Two Years of Decline. NCHS Report No. 24, September 2022.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 Mortality Overview. Provisional Death Counts for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Page last reviewed: May 16, 2022.
Blomberg B, Mohn KG, Brokstad KA, et al. Long COVID in a prospective cohort of home-isolated patients. Nat Med. 2021;27(9):1607-1613.
Mathieu S, Treloar A, Hawgood J, et al. The Role of Unemployment, Financial Hardship, and Economic Recession on Suicidal Behaviors and Interventions to Mitigate Their Impact: A Review. Frontiers in Public Health. 2022;10.
‌Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug Overdose Deaths Remain High. Death Rate Maps & Graphs, June 2022.
‌Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2001–2021. NCHS Data Brief No. 457, December 2022.
Stacey Simon. Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2020-2022: Colorectal Cancer Rates Rise in Younger Adults. American Cancer Society. March 5, 2020.
American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society Guideline for Colorectal Cancer Screening. 2020.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Colorectal Cancer: What Should I Know About Screening? Page last reviewed February 10, 2020.
Stacey Simon. Six Ways to Lower Your Risk for Colorectal Cancer. American Cancer Society. February 10, 2020.
Yang J, Biery DW, Singh A, et al. Risk Factors and Outcomes of Very Young Adults Who Experience Myocardial Infarction: The Partners YOUNG-MI Registry. The American Journal of Medicine. 2020;133(5):605-612.e1.
Zasada W, Bobrowska B, Plens K, et al. Acute myocardial infarction in young patients. Kardiologia Polska (Polish Heart Journal). 2021;79(10):1093-1098.
‌Women’s Heart Foundation. Women and Heart Disease Facts. 2020.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease Facts. October 14, 2022.
‌Meherali S, Punjani N, Louie-Poon S, et al. Mental Health of Children and Adolescents Amidst COVID-19 and Past Pandemics: A Rapid Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(7):3432.

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