Global life expectancy saw a decline of 1.8 years from 2019 to 2021 due to COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Mauritius does not appear to have been affected, according to available figures.
While the world saw a decline of 1.8 years from 2019 to 2021 in life expectancy due to COVID-19, the level appears to be plateauing in Mauritius. It has remained around 70 years for men and 77 years for women over the past five years. Internationally, the rate fell to that of 2012, i.e. 71.4 years, announced the World Health Organization (WHO) in its annual report on global health statistics. The pandemic has thus wiped out 10 years of progress in life expectancy. The regions of the Americas and Southeast Asia were the most seriously affected, according to the UN organization. Also, healthy life expectancy decreased by 1.5 years, reaching 61.9 years in 2021, a level similar to that of 2012. “COVID-19 has erased 10 years of progress in life expectancy of life,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
If life expectancy has not declined in Mauritius, COVID-19 has, on the other hand, significantly increased the number of deaths from 2020 to 2022. Figures from Statistics Mauritius indicate that there have been 10 deaths directly linked to COVID-19 in 2020, 785 in 2021 and 248 in 2022. It should be noted, however, that the figures increase to 608 in 2022 when taking into consideration cases of COVID-19 and post-COVID infection -19. Cause of death figures for 2023 are not yet available.
We also note that during certain months from 2020 to 2023, the number of deaths increased significantly compared to previous years. These increases appear to coincide with periods when the number of positive cases was higher and when the most virulent variants were circulating.
In a press release, the WHO emphasizes that life expectancy has not fallen equally across the world. The Americas and Southeast Asia regions were most affected, with a decrease of approximately 3 years and 2.5 years in healthy life expectancy between 2019 and 2021. Elsewhere, as in In the Western Pacific region, declines were less than 0.1 year in life expectancy and 0.2 year in healthy life expectancy over the same period.
In numbers
- The level of global life expectancy fell by 1.8 years, from 73.2 years to 71.4 years.
- Life expectancy in Mauritius is 70 years for men and 77 years for women.
- The total number of deaths increased from 10,768 in 2020 to 12,990 in 2021, then to 12,581 in 2022. It fell back to 11,549 in 2023.
- An increase in the number of deaths was recorded from August 2021 to March 2022 and from July to August 2022, coinciding with periods when the prevalence of COVID-19 was highest. An increase in the number of deaths was also noted in May 2023, but the causes have not yet been compiled.
- COVID-19 was the main cause of 10 deaths in 2020, 785 in 2021 and 608 in 2022.
| Number of deaths | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| January | 994 | 944 | 929 | 1,114 | 981 |
| FEBRUARY | 831 | 819 | 827 | 1,023 | 911 |
| March | 934 | 915 | 925 | 1,265 | 912 |
| April | 850 | 832 | 846 | 958 | 879 |
| May | 865 | 866 | 867 | 980 | 1,023 |
| June | 798 | 886 | 928 | 995 | 892 |
| July | 1.035 | 976 | 985 | 1,227 | 987 |
| August | 996 | 974 | 1,147 | 1,172 | 966 |
| September | 952 | 889 | 1,191 | 978 | 912 |
| October | 888 | 905 | 1,201 | 970 | 989 |
| November | 812 | 874 | 1,730 | 938 | 982 |
| December | 956 | 888 | 1,414 | 961 | 1,115 |
| Total | 10,911 | 10,768 | 12,990 | 12,581 | 11,549 |
| Life expectancy in Mauritius | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Men | Women |
| 2019 | 70.76 | 77.67 |
| 2020 | 70.17 | 77.23 |
| 2021 | 70.01 | 77.08 |
| 2,022 | ||
| 2023 | 70 | 77 |
