The COVID-19 pandemic led to a 1.54-year global drop in Healthy Life Expectancy (HALE) between 2019 and 2021, with mortality and pandemic-related outcomes causing 1.29-year and 0.28-year losses, respectively. The impact was most severe among adults aged 30+ years. Regions like the Americas and Southeast Asia saw significant HALE losses (2.72 years and 2.5 years, respectively), mainly due to COVID-19 mortality. Increased morbidity from COVID-19, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders also contributed to HALE declines, offsetting pre-pandemic gains.