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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Did life expectancy for Black Americans decrease by nearly three years in the first half of 2020?

By Lisa Freedland
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YES

Reflecting the impact of COVID-19, life expectancy for Black Americans decreased by nearly three years in the first half of 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The estimate dropped from 74.7 years to 72 years, a larger fall than for either whites and Hispanics.

In the same period, life expectancy of Hispanics decreased by about two years, from 81.8 years to 79.9 years. White life expectancy decreased by less than one year, from 78.8 to 78.

CDC data suggests that white people are less likely to die from COVID-19 infections than other races. Blacks are dying from the coronavirus at 1.9 times the rate of white people, while Hispanics are dying from the virus at 2.3 times the rate for whites. The COVID-19 pandemic was not the only factor reducing life expectancy in the first half of 2020. Deaths from drug overdoses were also on the rise.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Centers for Disease Control: Personal life expectancy statistics—January 2020 through June 2020
Centers for Disease Control: Risk for COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death by race/ethnicity
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.