A new study has found that the COVID-19 pandemic cost the entire world millions of years of human lives. The United States was among those countries most affected.

Researchers at the University of Oxford in the UK used historical age trends and excess death data to estimate the number of years of life lost in 31 countries by 2020.

The U.S., most of Europe, and Asian countries like Israel, South Korea, Taiwan, and a few other countries like Chile and New Zealand were all included.

Researchers found that Russia, Bulgaria and Lithuania had the highest losses of years between them.

The pandemic claimed 28 million years of human life in all 31 countries.

Researchers found that the U.S. was among the countries that suffered the most total years of life lost, with around 3,500 years of life lost for every 100,000 people (above). Other leaders included Russia, Bulgaria and Lithuania. In total, 28 million years of life were lost across 31 countries included in the study

Researchers found that the U.S. was the country with the most years of life lost. There were approximately 3,500 years for every 100,000 people. Russia, Bulgaria, Lithuania and other countries were also leaders. The study included 31 countries that lost 28 million years of their lives.

On average, men suffered a larger drop in life expectancy than women did last year, though in countries like Taiwan and New Zealand, life expectancy actually increased last year

On average, men saw a greater drop in life expectancy last year than women, but in countries like New Zealand and Taiwan, life expectancy actually rose last year.

Researchers used a metric called “years of loss” (YLL) to create the study, which was published in The BMJ on Wednesday.

It measures the increase in life expectancy in a country between 2020 and 2025.

Multiplying YLL by the number excess deaths can reveal the total years of loss of life across a country.

Researchers found that the pandemic cost men an average of more years than it did for women.

Almost all the countries in the study also saw their life expectancy drop last year.

Last year, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Norway saw their life expectancy increase.

In 2020, South Korea, Iceland, and Denmark saw little or no change in their residents’ life expectancies.

Despite being one of the most economically challenged countries in the world, the U.S. was still a great country.

The average American man lost 2.27 years of their life, while the average American woman lost 1.61 years.

Excess death numbers do not only show deaths from Covid itself, but from all sources last year. The pandemic caused non-virus deaths as well in 2020 by disrupting medical treatment. Pictured: A nurse in Rexburg, Idaho, treats a hospitalized Covid patient on October 28

The excess death numbers don’t just show deaths due to Covid, but also from all other sources. In 2020, the pandemic also caused non-virus deaths by disrupting medical treatment. Pictured: A nurse from Rexburg in Idaho treats a Covid patient who was hospitalized on October 28.

Researchers calculated the excess deaths in America last year and found that the U.S. had lost approximately 3,500 years of its life per 100,000 people. 

Russia was the most populous country in terms of years lost relative to population. It lost just under 6,000 years for every 100,000 people. 

Bulgaria, which lost about 5,500 years for every 100,000 inhabitants, and Lithuania, which lost almost 4,000, were also among the global leaders.

New Zealand, South Korea, Norway and Taiwan were all found to have enjoyed years of life in the last year. 

Researchers wrote in a statement that their findings of a comparable or lower than anticipated YLL in Taiwanese, New Zealand and Denmark, Iceland, Norway and South Korea highlight the importance of effective viral suppression and elimination strategies, including population-based public health policy interventions.

“As many of these effects of the pandemic may take a longer period of time to have a measurable impact on human lives, continuous monitoring of excess YLL would help identify sources of excess mortality in subgroups of the population.  

Officially reported Covid figures will always be slightly less than real numbers for many factors. This makes studies like these valuable in understanding last year’s true impact.

In the U.S., for example, up to 60 percent of cases may have gone undetected during the first year of the pandemic due to test shortages. 

There are also many extra deaths from the pandemic. However, the virus itself will not be included in official statistics. 

Cancer patients are often diagnosed at the later stages of the disease. There is a lower survival rate.

The disruption of treatment has also been linked to an increase in opioid overdose deaths.