More than 2 million Americans who died in 2020 and 2021 might still be alive today if the United States had mortality rates equal to those of other developed nations.

A new study examined how many deaths might have been averted, based on the averages of age-specific mortality rates of 21 other wealthy countries. Researchers found excess deaths “surged” during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the U.S. death rate had been diverging from those of other nations for decades.

The authors said the number of “Missing Americans” tallied more than 1 million in 2020 and almost 1.1 million in 2021. Analyzing figures dating back to 1933, the number of excess deaths has never been larger in the United States.

“The number of Missing Americans in recent years is unprecedented in modern times,” corresponding author Jacob Bor, ScD, said in a news release. Bor is associate professor of global health and epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health.

In 2020 and 2021, almost half of all the Missing Americans died younger than age 65, according to the study.

“Think of people you know who have passed away before reaching age 65. Statistically, half of them would still be alive if the U.S. had the mortality rates of our peers,” Bor said. “The US is experiencing a crisis of early death that is unique among wealthy nations.”

20th Century history

The researchers used figures from the Human Mortality Database and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The United States had...

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