COVID-19 Pandemic Disproportionately Affected Foreign-Born Populations in the US

Strategic Insights -

According to a recent study published in Social Science & Medicine, the COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the lives of foreign-born individuals in the United States. The research, conducted by a team of scholars at the University of Helsinki, examined the effect of the pandemic on life expectancy among foreign-born populations in comparison to their US-born counterparts. The study revealed that the life expectancy gap between foreign-born and US-born populations widened significantly during the pandemic, with foreign-born individuals experiencing a 1.0-year decline in life expectancy for women and a 2.4-year decline for men in 2020.

Key Takeaways:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant decline in life expectancy among foreign-born populations in the US, with a 1.0-year decline for women and a 2.4-year decline for men in 2020.
  • The overall foreign-born life expectancy advantage declined by 1.0 year for women and 2.4 years for men, contributing to a 0.13-year decline in life expectancy for women and a 0.30-year decline for men in 2020.
  • In 2021, mortality decreased among foreign-born populations, but life expectancies for US-born men and women remained below their pre-pandemic levels.
  • The foreign-born population's contribution to US life expectancy recovered its pre-pandemic size for women but not for men in 2022.
  • Hispanic men experienced the largest decline in life expectancy between 2017 and 2020 and the slowest recovery by 2022.
  • The research concluded that the US experienced one of the largest life expectancy declines among high-income countries during the pandemic.

Statistics:

  • In 2020, life expectancy declined by 1.0 year for women and 2.4 years for men among foreign-born populations.
  • The overall foreign-born life expectancy advantage declined by 1.0 year for women and 2.4 years for men in 2020.
  • In 2021, mortality decreased among foreign-born populations, but life expectancies for US-born men and women remained below their pre-pandemic levels.
  • The foreign-born population's contribution to US life expectancy recovered its pre-pandemic size for women but not for men in 2022.
  • Hispanic men experienced a decline of 2.4 years in life expectancy between 2017 and 2020 and a slowest recovery by 2022.

Sources:

  • "Us-born and Foreign-born Life Expectancy By Race and Hispanic Origin Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic In the United States." Social Science & Medicine, vol. 380, 2025.
  • University of Helsinki, Helsinki Inst Demog & Populat Hlth, Faculty of Social Sciences, Unioninkatu 33, Helsinki 00170, Finland.
  • Eugenio Paglino, University of Helsinki.
  • NewsRx LLC.