EU life expectancy rises to 81.4 years, surpassing pre-pandemic levels
In 2023, life expectancy at birth in the European Union reached 81.4 years, reflecting an increase of 0.8 years compared to 2022. This rise marks a full recovery from the declines observed in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Life expectancy has now surpassed pre-pandemic levels, exceeding the 2019 figures and setting a new record since data collection began in 2002. Overall, life expectancy in the EU has increased by 3.8 years over the past two decades.
The findings, published by Eurostat, highlight regional differences across the EU. The highest life expectancy at birth was recorded in Spain’s Comunidad de Madrid at 86.1 years, followed by Italy’s Provincia Autonoma di Trento and Finland’s Åland, both at 85.1 years. Other regions with high life expectancy include Spain’s Comunidad Foral de Navarra and Italy’s Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen, where the figure stood at 85.0 years.
In contrast, some regions continue to report significantly lower life expectancy. Three of the five EU regions with the lowest figures were in Bulgaria: Severozapaden at 73.9 years, Yugoiztochen at 75.1 years, and Severen tsentralen at 75.2 years. Hungary’s Észak-Magyarország and France’s Mayotte both recorded life expectancies of 74.9 years, ranking among the lowest in the EU.
The report also highlights the gender gap in life expectancy. Women in the EU had an average life expectancy of 84.0 years in 2023, increasing by 0.7 years from 2022 and matching pre-pandemic levels from 2019. For men, life expectancy was 78.7 years, reflecting a 0.8-year increase from 2022 and a slight rise of 0.2 years compared to 2019.
Women are still expected to live longer than men, with an average difference of 5.3 years across the EU. However, this gap varies significantly between countries. The largest disparities were observed in Latvia, where women are projected to live 10.1 years longer than men, followed by Lithuania at 9.0 years and Estonia at 8.8 years. The smallest gender differences were recorded in the Netherlands, where the gap stood at just 3.0 years, while Sweden and Luxembourg both reported a difference of 3.3 years.
Source: Eurostat
