Covid-19 may have caused the loss of more than 20,5 million years of life worldwide

Research with prominent participation by the Center for Research in Health and Economics (CRES-UPF) and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, has calculated the years of life lost (YLL) rate due to the pandemic in 81 countries.

In the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers conclude that the YLL rate associated with covid-19 is between two to nine times higher than that attributable to seasonal flu, and that on average, for each death sixteen years are lost.

Of the total years of life lost, 44.9% occurred in individuals between 55 and 75 years of age, 30.2% among people under 55, and 25% in the over 75s.

The research, supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, confirms that in countries where deaths are recorded by gender, the YLL rate was 44% higher in men than in women.