Global life expectancy nears pre-pandemic levels, WHO reports
Years lived in good health lag behind, with non-communicable diseases causing most deaths.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

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Photograph: Hot News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, nearing the 73.4 years recorded in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Life expectancy in good health was 62.8 years in 2023, 0.4 years below the 2019 level.
- Non-communicable diseases accounted for 74% of global deaths in 2023, an increase from 58% in 2000.
- The Americas region saw the largest increases in mortality risk between 2000 and 2023.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 19 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 21 of the 40 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
20/100
40 sources · methodology
Global life expectancy has almost returned to its pre-Covid-19 pandemic level, according to the World Health Organization's latest global data. In 2023, life expectancy at birth reached 73.3 years, a slight decrease from the 73.4 years recorded in 2019. The pandemic had caused a dip to 71.5 years in 2021.
However, the recovery in years lived in good health has been slower. In 2023, life expectancy in good health stood at 62.8 years, which is 0.4 years less than in 2019. Dr. Alain Labrique, director of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and AI at WHO, stated that while living longer is a public health achievement, the next challenge is ensuring these additional years are spent in good health and adapting health systems to changing population needs.
The data also highlights a significant shift in the causes of death. Non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, diabetes, and Alzheimer's, accounted for 74% of global deaths in 2023. This is a substantial increase from 58% in 2000. The Americas region experienced the greatest rise in mortality risk and loss of healthy life years between 2000 and 2023, while the Western Pacific region saw a considerable decrease.
Disagreement on healthy life expectancy figures
While most reports agree that life expectancy in good health was 62.8 years in 2023 and 0.4 years below the 2019 level, one report states the figure was 71.4 years in 2021 due to the pandemic. Another report mentions that cardiovascular diseases continue to be the leading cause of death globally.
What the coverage left out
None of the left, centre, or right-rated reports mention the specific figure of 71.5 years that global life expectancy dropped to in 2021. The right-rated reports do not mention the Americas region seeing the largest increases in mortality risk between 2000 and 2023, a detail present in left and centre-rated reports.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 2 Oct 2026, 16:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
4 rated outlets
- Reports from the left-rated outlets focused on the near-recovery of global life expectancy to pre-pandemic levels, citing the 73.3 years figure for 2023. They also highlighted that life expectancy in good health is recovering more slowly, with one report noting it remains 0.4 years below the 2019 level. The increasing proportion of deaths from non-communicable diseases, reaching 74% in 2023, was also a key point. The left-rated reports mentioned the Americas region saw the largest increases in mortality risk and loss of healthy life years between 2000 and 2023.
Centre
10 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports led with the news that global life expectancy has almost returned to pre-Covid-19 levels, with the 2023 figure of 73.3 years being close to the 2019 mark. They also stressed that the recovery in years lived in good health is slower, reaching 62.8 years in 2023, 0.4 years below 2019. These reports noted the rise in non-communicable diseases as a cause of death, accounting for 74% in 2023, and mentioned the Americas region's increased mortality risk. Some centre-rated reports also included a quote from Dr. Alain Labrique of the WHO about the challenge of ensuring additional years are lived in good health.
Right
5 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports highlighted that global life expectancy is nearing its pre-pandemic level, with the 2023 figure of 73.3 years mentioned. They also noted that healthy years are lagging behind this recovery. One report mentioned that anxiety disorders linked to healthy life loss increased by nearly 45% since 2019, while depressive disorders saw around a 20% jump.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Global life expectancy nears pre-pandemic levels, WHO reports?
- Of the 19 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 21% are rated left, 53% are rated centre, 26% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 40. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Global life expectancy nears pre-pandemic levels, WHO reports left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 19 rated outlets on this story, 21% are rated left, 53% are rated centre, 26% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Global life expectancy nears pre-pandemic levels, WHO reports biased?
- Global life expectancy nears pre-pandemic levels, WHO reports is one event reported by 40 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Global life expectancy nears pre-pandemic levels, WHO reports?
- 40 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What is the current global life expectancy?
- Global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023. This figure is very close to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
- How has life expectancy in good health changed?
- Life expectancy in good health reached 62.8 years in 2023. This is 0.4 years less than the level recorded in 2019, indicating a slower recovery in this area compared to overall life expectancy.
- What are the main causes of death globally?
- Non-communicable diseases accounted for 74% of global deaths in 2023, a significant increase from 58% in 2000. These include conditions like cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, and diabetes.
- Which region saw the largest increase in mortality risk?
- The Americas region experienced the largest increases in mortality risk and the loss of healthy life years between 2000 and 2023, according to the WHO data.
Read it at the source
40 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
4- Life Expectancy Has Returned Almost to the Level Before the Covid Pandemic Worldwide - HotNews.ro (opens Hot News in a new tab)
- World Life Expectancy Has Almost Returned to Its Pre-Covid Level, According to WHO (opens Le Monde in a new tab)
- Global life expectancy rises to 73 yrs, nearing pre-Covid level (opens Vanguard News in a new tab)
Vanguard News — is Vanguard News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- World Life Expectancy Returns to Its Pre-Covid Level, but Healthy Years Stagnate (opens Le Temps in a new tab)
Centre
10- Life Expectancy Almost Back To Pre-Covid Levels, Says WHO (opens Channels Television in a new tab)
Channels Television — is Channels Television biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The Covid Shock Is over, but We Have some Bad News (opens Portfolio in a new tab)
Portfolio — is Portfolio biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Life expectancy almost back to pre-Covid levels, says WHO (opens Radio France Internationale in a new tab)
Radio France Internationale — is Radio France Internationale biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Life expectancy almost back to pre-Covid levels, says WHO (opens France24 in a new tab)
- People Live Again as Long as Before the COVID Pandemic, but Not as Healthy. What the New WHO Data Shows (opens Digi 24 in a new tab)
- World Life Expectancy Recovers Almost the Pre-Covid-19 Level, According to WHO (opens TVN in a new tab)
- Global Life Expectancy Returns to the Pre-Pandemic Level and Stands at 73.4 Years (opens Hola News in a new tab)
- Health. After the Shock of the Covid, Global Life Expectancy Is Rising Again, According to WHO (opens leprogres.fr in a new tab)
leprogres.fr — is leprogres.fr biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
5- Global life expectancy nears pre-pandemic level, but healthy years lag behind: WHO (opens Anadolu Ajansı in a new tab)
Anadolu Ajansı — is Anadolu Ajansı biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Life expectancy almost back to pre-Covid levels, says WHO (opens Free Malaysia Today News in a new tab)
Free Malaysia Today News — is Free Malaysia Today News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Life expectancy almost back to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels, says WHO (opens The Straits Times in a new tab)
The Straits Times — is The Straits Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Life Expectancy Almost Back To Pre-Covid Levels, Says WHO (opens NDTV in a new tab)
- World Life Expectancy Recovers Almost the Previous Level of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Says WHO (opens Globo in a new tab)
Not rated
21- Global Life Expectancy Has Returned to Pre-Cow Pandemic Levels19 (opens veridica.ro in a new tab)
veridica.ro — is veridica.ro biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Life Expectancy Has Returned Close to Pre-COVID Level: What the New WHO Report Shows (opens Gândul in a new tab)
- World Life Expectancy Recovers Almost the Level Prior to COVID-19, According to WHO - Information Focus (opens focoinformativo.site in a new tab)
focoinformativo.site — is focoinformativo.site biased? Our profile of this outlet
- World Life Expectancy Is Approaching Levels Before Covid-19, According to WHO (opens expreso.ec in a new tab)
expreso.ec — is expreso.ec biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Life Expectancy Has Returned Almost to the Level of the World's Pre-Covid Pandemic (opens PSnews in a new tab)
- WHO Figures: Global Life Expectancy Almost Back to Pre-Corona Level (opens rtl.lu in a new tab)
- Worldwide Life Expectancy Almost Back at Pre-Corona Level (opens vienna.at in a new tab)
- Life Expectancy Has Returned to the Level Before the Covid Pandemic, Which Is the World's Average. (opens Adevarul in a new tab)
Show 13 more
- World Life Expectancy Recovers Prepandemic Figures While Covid Comes Out of the Main Causes of Death (opens diarioestrategia.cl in a new tab)
diarioestrategia.cl — is diarioestrategia.cl biased? Our profile of this outlet
- WHO: Global Life Expectancy Has Returned Almost to Pre-Covide-19 Pandemic Level (opens Stirile Pro TV in a new tab)
Stirile Pro TV — is Stirile Pro TV biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Average Life Expectancy Recovers to Pre-Pandemic Levels. Cardiovascular Diseases Continue to Be the Leading Cause of Death in the World (opens IOL Portugal in a new tab)
IOL Portugal — is IOL Portugal biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Health. After the Shock of the Covid, Global Life Expectancy Is Rising Again, According to WHO (opens lejsl.com in a new tab)
- Health. After the Shock of the Covid, Global Life Expectancy Is Rising Again, According to WHO (opens lalsace.fr in a new tab)
lalsace.fr — is lalsace.fr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Health. After the Shock of the Covid, Global Life Expectancy Is Rising Again, According to WHO (opens vosgesmatin.fr in a new tab)
vosgesmatin.fr — is vosgesmatin.fr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Health. After the Shock of the Covid, Global Life Expectancy Is Rising Again, According to WHO (opens republicain-lorrain.fr in a new tab)
republicain-lorrain.fr — is republicain-lorrain.fr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Health. After the Shock of the Covid, Global Life Expectancy Is Rising Again, According to WHO (opens bienpublic.com in a new tab)
bienpublic.com — is bienpublic.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Health. After the Shock of the Covid, Global Life Expectancy Is Rising Again, According to WHO (opens estrepublicain.fr in a new tab)
estrepublicain.fr — is estrepublicain.fr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Global Life Expectancy Returns to the Pre-Pandemic Level and Stands at 73.4 Years (opens udgtv in a new tab)
- Life Expectancy Recovers Almost the Previous Level of the Covid Pandemic, Says WHO (opens Jovem Pan News in a new tab)
Jovem Pan News — is Jovem Pan News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- World Life Expectancy Recovers Almost the Pre-Covid-19 Level: WHO (opens El Economista in a new tab)
El Economista — is El Economista biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Global Health. Oms: Life Expectancy Returns to Pre-Covid Levels, but the Weight of Non-Communicable Diseases Grows (opens quotidianosanita.it in a new tab)
quotidianosanita.it — is quotidianosanita.it biased? Our profile of this outlet
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