Background/Objectives:
Life expectancy at birth (LEB) is an important indicator of the health status of a population. Recent studies have shown the reduction of the LEB in different countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this sense, this study aims to identify the impact of COVID-19 on life expectancy in Mexico in the year 2021.

Methods:
Abridged life tables by sex were constructed for Mexico in 2019 and 2021. Using the Arriaga method, the years of life expectancy lost (YLEL) were estimated between 0 and 85 years due to COVID-19 and selected causes in each year. Adjusted mortality rates from these causes were calculated for the period 1998-2021 and their trend was analyzed using a “joinpoint” regression analysis

Results:
The male LEB decreased 5.2 years and the female 4.1 years between 2019 and 2021. COVID-19 was directly responsible for 4.3 YLEL in men and 2.8 in women between 2019 and 2021, but in other causes of death such as diabetes mellitus (DM), ischemic heart disease (IHD) and acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI), a substantial increase was also observed in YLEL between both years. The trend analysis reveals for all the analyzed causes an upward inflection point at the end of the period studied, with a marked statistically significant annual percentage change.

Conclusions:
The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced LEB in Mexico, especially in men; These figures are higher than those found internationally. In addition to the YLEL directly due to COVID-19, the YLEL due to other causes studied also reflect the impact of the pandemic in Mexico. While the prevalence of DM and IHD in the Mexican population is high, strategies to reduce the impact of the pandemic necessarily involve achieving greater control of these diseases in patients who suffer from it and trying to reduce its prevalence.