Community leaders say the loss of years for Black residents is fueled by systemic racism in Boston, which has led to community divestment and residential segregation.

“It’s always going to be different numbers for us, because the Black and Brown community is always overlooked,” said Lovelee Harvey, 56, a senior recovery coach at Metro Boston Alive, a nonprofit recovery center in Roxbury.

Over the last few months, the Boston Public Health Commission organized state mortality data by race and ethnicity to develop its life expectancy analysis, part of its “Live Long and Well” agenda, which examines how systemic racism has created this public health crisis.

A longer report containing more detailed data is expected to be released in April, said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission.

We broke down the “Closing the Gap” report, released Feb. 27; here are five takeaways.

The life expectancy gap is widening: Since 2013, Black residents maintained living around 78 years, while the rest of Boston’s life expectancy rose from about 81 to 85 years.

Black men, in particular, have the lowest life expectancy compared to all other groups, according to the report. Between 2022 and 2024, they lived about 9.3 fewer years than other men in Boston.

Black women have the lowest life expectancy compared to all other women, having lived about 6.4 years fewer than other women from 2022 to 2024.

“We think about the drivers of life expectancy, and we know that those are social and structural determinants of health,” Ojikutu said.

Black residents have maintained the lowest life expectancy of all major racial groups in Boston, at around 76 years in the latest period from 2022 to 2024, according to state data.

Meanwhile, Asian residents had the highest life expectancy of about 88 years from 2022 to 2024.

Life expectancy for all groups declined during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2021, but have since rebounded.

The life expectancy gap between Black residents and other Bostonians has doubled over the past decade — from 3.3 years to 6.6 years.

“That should concern everyone,” said Winston Bodrick, executive director of the Roxbury YMCA and a member of the Live Long and Well Advisory Council, a new group of community leaders who will help guide efforts to close the gap. “Life expectancy is one of the most fundamental measures of how well the community is doing, so that was a real drawback for me.”

Ojikutu said the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Black residents lost more years of life than other groups, as well as a steep increase in overdose mortality, particularly among Black men, contributed to the gap’s doubling.

Unintentional drug overdoses — the product of substance use disorder and a drug supply that is frequently contaminated, such as with fentanyl — were the leading cause of premature death for Black men in Boston from 2022 to 2024. They have led the causes of premature deaths since 2020.

Negative stigma surrounding substance abuse may trigger feelings of shame for those struggling with addiction, discouraging them from seeking treatment, Ojikutu said. Greg Davis, a former heroin and cocaine user, said those feelings would only intensify his addiction.

“Each time those feelings kicked up for me, I sedated myself, which I believe is what’s going on with a lot of these folks who are still addicted,” said Davis, founder and president of Metro Boston Alive.

Davis added that many struggling with addiction don’t seek help because “they don’t trust the system.”

Now 41 years clean, Davis, 76, is exceeding the report’s average life expectancy for Black men.

Harvey, who described himself as a former “more user” — “If somebody had more, I would use it,” he said with a hearty laugh — overdosed more than 10 times during his active addiction. He recalled being angry about being given Narcan on multiple occasions, but now, he distributes Narcan on the streets every day.

Heart disease and cancer were nearly as significant, followed by homicide and several other health conditions.

Systemic barriers have contributed to these chronic diseases going unchecked, said Dr. Christopher Lathan, chief clinical access officer for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a member of the Live Long and Well Advisory Council. They are present in every stage of health care: prevention, screening and treatment.

Being unable to take time off work, or not having a primary care clinician at all, can hinder receiving a health screening.

“You can’t just stop your life and then focus on the cancer, which is what a lot of folks who have any means will do,” Lathan said.

Bodrick, of the Roxbury YMCA, said institutions like the YMCA play a “critical role” in addressing the life expectancy disparity by promoting physical health and wellness.

“We provide safe spaces for physical activity, youth development, community development, as well as preventative wellness programming,” Bodrick said. “These moments may look small, but together, I think they shape lives.”

Communities in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan have the lowest life expectancies in Boston, Ojikutu said.

A 2023 report by the BPHC found a 23-year difference in average life expectancy between Roxbury and Back Bay. In Dorchester, that gap is approximately 20 years, and in Mattapan, the gap is approximately 18 years, Ojikutu said.

These neighborhoods are home to majority-Black populations, according to the Globe’s neighborhood census maps. Mattapan has the largest share of Black residents, with 69.8 percent, while Black residents make up 42.9 percent of Roxbury and 36 percent of Dorchester.

These are also not wealthy neighborhoods, according to the Globe maps. Only 8.9 percent of Roxbury households earn more than $200,000 a year, compared to 13.7 percent in Mattapan and 15.4 percent in Dorchester.

The city pledged on Feb. 27 to contribute $2 million toward medical screenings and other preventative programs to curb the widening life expectancy gap, adding to the $10 million investment from the Atrius Health Equity Foundation in 2024 focused on increasing economic opportunity in neighborhoods with lower life expectancies.

To reduce drug overdoses, Harvey said the community needs the right people to “educate in a loving, caring, culturally competent way.” He hopes the city will promote education and economical development, and give a “fair share” to underprivileged communities.

Lathan, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said tackling food deserts and creating community health centers, among other efforts, can promote screenings and other forms of prevention.

“We have a government, both city and state, that’s really interested in trying to alleviate the barriers,” Lathan said. “Hope should not be restricted to just affluent communities. Hope should be accessible to all.”

Lauren Albano can be reached at lauren.albano@globe.com. Follow her on X @LaurenAlbano_. Scooty Nickerson can be reached at scooty.nickerson@globe.com.