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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

Published
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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

Left 21%(4)Centre 53%(10)Right 26%(5)

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.

Familie în parc. Imagine cu caracter ilustrativ. Foto: Profimedia Images
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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

Centre

10
Show 2 more

Right

5

Not rated

21
Show 13 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

Global Life Expectancy 73.3 Years | MediaBias News