Introduction:

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the greatest global challenges of the time. For a better understanding of its population effects, it is necessary to analyze complementary measures to mortality. Objetive: To estimate the potential years of life lost in Colombia due to premature deaths from all causes and from COVID-19 in the March-July period between 2015 and 2020.

Materials and methods:

We carried out an ecological, longitudinal and retrospective study, based on secondary sources. Years of life potentially lost were calculated according to sex and age group, using life expectancy and the DANE actuarial tables.

Results:

Between March and July 2020, 2 356 420 years were lost due to premature deaths, for a rate of 46.8 years lost per thousand inhabitants of Colombia, a result that is 4.8% higher than the average of the last five years. Due to COVID-19, 237 725.5 years were lost –with the greatest loss among men– and a percentage contribution of 10.5% to the total potential years of life lost in Colombia.

Conclusions:

During the pandemic there has been a slight increase in the potential years of life lost in Colombia. Although the loss of years attributable to deaths confirmed by COVID-19 are not directly responsible for most of the total loss, social changes and living conditions during confinement could have had an impact on variations in mortality and its distribution among population subgroups.