Recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics showed that the average life expectancy dropped a full year in the first half of 2020, from 78.8 years in the first half of 2019 to 77.8 years in the first half of 2020. The average life expectancy for a Black person dropped by 2.7 years from 74.7 years in the first half of 2019 to just 72.0 years in the first six months of 2020. Some of the reduction is due to COVID-19 but researchers say drug overdoses have taken their toll on the average life expectancy (AARP Bulletin April 2021, page 4).
