EU, life expectancy reaches 81.5 years

Brussels – In the European Union, living conditions are improving and people are living longer: in 2023, life expectancy at birth was 81.5 years, up by 0.9 years from 2022. After declines in 2020 and 2021 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy surpassed pre-pandemic levels, reaching its highest value since 2002, with an overall increase of 3.8 years since 2019. 

This was revealed by Eurostat, in data released today (March 14). In 16 out of 27 countries, life expectancy exceeded the EU average, with the highest expectancy recorded for Spain (84.0 years), followed by Italy (83.8 years) and Luxembourg (83.4 years). On the opposite side of the table, with the lowest life expectancy at birth, are Latvia (75.6 years), Bulgaria (75.8) and Romania (76.4).

Looking at regions, the one with the highest life expectancy at birth in the EU was the Comunidad de Madrid in Spain, with 86.1 years, followed by the Autonomous Province of Trento (85.1 years), the Åland Islands in Finland (85.1 years), the Comunidad Foral de Navarra in Spain, and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen (85.0 years).

Conversely, the regions with the lowest life expectancy are mainly in Eastern Europe. Among the five regions with the lowest life expectancy, three are located in Bulgaria: Severozapaden (73.9 years), Severen tsentralen (75.2 years) and Yugoiztochen (75.1 years). The other two regions with low life expectancy are Észak-Magyarország in Hungary (74.9 years) and Mayotte in France (74.9 years).

Another interesting fact concerns gender differences: Women live on average 5.3 years longer than men. In 2023, European women boast a life expectancy of 84.0 years, up 0.7 years from 2022, while men achieve an average life expectancy of 78.7 years, up 0.8 years from the previous year.