Gap widens

USA: People are living longer, except for indigenous groups

Life expectancy increased for all groups in the USA, except for indigenous people.(Bild: AFP)

In the USA, the differences in life expectancy between different population groups have widened to 20 years. While indigenous people in western US states had an average life expectancy of 63.6 years at birth in 2021, this figure was 84.0 years for those from Asia.

Part of this difference is due to the coronavirus pandemic, write the authors of the study from the University of Washington in Seattle.

Life expectancy increased in almost all groups
For the study, the researchers collected data on life expectancy for the period 2000 to 2021. They show that life expectancy increased slightly from 2000 to 2019 in all groups studied - with the exception of the indigenous population in western US states.

The group consists of 1.3 million people. Their life expectancy fell from 72.3 years in 2000 to 70.2 years in 2019. They were also particularly hard hit by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic: In 2021, their life expectancy fell to 63.6 years. This represents a decrease of 6.6 years compared to 2019, while Asian Americans only experienced a decrease of 1.9 years.

Income is not the only factor
"These inequalities reflect the unequal and unfair distribution of resources and opportunities, which have profound consequences for well-being and life expectancy, particularly among marginalized populations," the study authors are quoted as saying. For another ethnic group, black Americans, things looked better for a while: Until 2015, their life expectancy rose disproportionately compared to other groups, since then it has stagnated. "The gap between life expectancy at birth for black and white Americans has perhaps never been smaller than in the mid-2010s," says co-author Thomas Bollyky from the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington DC.

The study authors point out that while income is an important factor in life expectancy, other influences also play a role. For example, the white majority of the population, which makes up 57.3 percent of the total population, had the highest income in most years of the study period. Nevertheless, their life expectancy of 77.2 years in 2021 was lower than that of Latinos outside the South West (79.4 years) and the population of Asian origin (84.0 years). With regard to the poorer population, the authors of the study stated: "The scale and scope of health disparities in American society are truly alarming in a country with the wealth and resources of the United States."