Covid-19 has caused the biggest decrease in life expectancy in 2020 by a huge amount — the largest since the Second World War — according to an Oxford study. The paper was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

“Life expectancy in 2020 was slashed by more than six months compared to 2019 in 22 of the 29 countries that were analysed. Of the 29 sampled countries, 27 belonged to Europe, while the other two were Chile and the United States,” the study said.

The results highlight a large impact that is directly attributable to Covid-19. “This shows how devastating a shock it has been for many countries,” Dr Ridhi Kashyap, co-lead author of published paper, said.

Highlighting the urgency of more research on Covid-19, she called for the publication and availability of further information and data to better understand the worldwide impacts of the coronavirus.

She also urged the Governments of other countries, especially low-income and middle-income countries, to make available their data on Covid-19 mortality rates.

The study also shows that due to Covid-19 life expectancy of men dropped by a greater margin than that of women in most of the sample countries.

The greatest reduction was that of American men, whose life expectancy declined by 2.2 years compared to 2019.

Overall, in 15 countries, the life expectancy of men was reduced by a year, while the same happened for women in 11 countries.

A stark difference highlighted by the study was that in the US, the deaths of working-age people and of those under 60 contributed most to high mortality rates, while in Europe, the deaths of people aged over 60 were on the higher side.