This statistic shows the average life expectancy in Europe for those born in 2024, by gender and region. The average life expectancy in Western Europe was 79 years for males and 84 years for females in 2024. Additional information on European life expectancy The difference in life expectancy seen between men and women across all European regions is in line with the global trends of women outliving men, on average. The average life expectancy at birth worldwide by income group shows that the gender life expectancy gap is not only a consistent trend across countries, but also income groups. Moreover, the higher life expectancy for those in high income groups may help to explain the lower average life expectancy for those born in Eastern Europe where average incomes are generally lower than other European regions. Although income and length of life are not directly correlated, higher income individuals are generally able to afford access to superior nutrition and healthcare as well as having leisure time for exercise. That said, current trends in the increases in life expectancy worldwide by country between 1970 and 2017 suggest economic growth will lead to larger increases in life expectancy. Those increases are less likely to occur to such a degree in the more developed regions of Europe where Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, Iceland and Austria all rank in the top 20 countries with the highest life expectancy.

In 2024, life expectancy at birth in Europe was 79 years, compared with the low of 62.8 in 1950 and 1951. During this time period, life expectancy increased fastest between the 1950s and mid 1960s, with the rate of improvement slowing since then.

As of 2023, the countries with the highest life expectancy included Switzerland, Japan, and Spain. As of that time, a new-born child in Switzerland could expect to live an average of 84.2 years. Around the world, females consistently have a higher average life expectancy than males, with females in Europe expected to live an average of six years longer than males on this continent. Increases in life expectancy The overall average life expectancy in OECD countries increased by 11.3 years from 1970 to 2019. The countries that saw the largest increases included Turkey, India, and South Korea. The life expectancy at birth in Turkey increased an astonishing 24.4 years over this period. The countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide as of 2022 were Chad, Lesotho, and Nigeria, where a newborn could be expected to live an average of 53 years. Life expectancy in the U.S. The life expectancy in the United States was 77.43 years as of 2022. Shockingly, the life expectancy in the United States has decreased in recent years, while it continues to increase in other similarly developed countries. The COVID-19 pandemic and increasing rates of suicide and drug overdose deaths from the opioid epidemic have been cited as reasons for this decrease.

The average for 2022 based on 27 countries was 82.82 years. The highest value was in Spain: 85.9 years and the lowest value was in Bulgaria: 78.1 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2022 based on 44 countries was 76.33 years. The highest value was in Liechtenstein: 83.1 years and the lowest value was in Ukraine: 63.53 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2022 based on 27 countries was 77.18 years. The highest value was in Sweden: 81.5 years and the lowest value was in Latvia: 69.8 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2023, the average life expectancy of the world was 70 years for men and 75 years for women. The lowest life expectancies were found in Africa, while Oceania and Europe had the highest.

What is life expectancy?

Life expectancy is defined as a statistical measure of how long a person may live, based on demographic factors such as gender, current age, and most importantly the year of their birth. The most commonly used measure of life expectancy is life expectancy at birth or at age zero. The calculation is based on the assumption that mortality rates at each age were to remain constant in the future.

Life expectancy has changed drastically over time, especially during the past 200 years. In the early 20th century, the average life expectancy at birth in the developed world stood at 31 years. It has grown to an average of 70 and 75 years for males and females respectively, and is expected to keep on growing with advances in medical treatment and living standard continuing.

Highest and lowest life expectancy worldwide

Life expectancy still varies greatly between different regions and countries of the world. The biggest impact on life expectancy is the quality of public health, medical care, and diet. As of 2021, the countries with the highest life expectancy were Japan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and South Korea, all at 84 years. Most of the countries with the lowest life expectancy are mostly African countries. The ranking was led by the Chad, Nigeria, and Lesotho with 53 years.

The product has been discontinued since: 01 Mar 2017.

Average life expectancy at birth (period death table): Federal states, years, gender

Life expectancy at birth is defined as the mean number of years still to be lived by a person at birth -, if subjected throughout the rest of his or her life to the current mortality conditions.

This European Census dataset covers data on population, fertility, migration, birth and death rates as well as life expectancy in the recent years or projected to 2050.

BackgroundDecades of steady improvements in life expectancy in Europe slowed down from around 2011, well before the COVID-19 pandemic, for reasons which remain disputed. We aimed to assess how changes in risk factors and cause-specific death rates in different European countries related to changes in life expectancy in those countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe used data and methods from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2021 to compare changes in life expectancy at birth, causes of death, and population exposure to risk factors in 16 European Economic Area countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden) and the four UK nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) for three time periods: 1990–2011, 2011–19, and 2019–21. Changes in life expectancy and causes of death were estimated with an established life expectancy cause-specific decomposition method, and compared with summary exposure values of risk factors for the major causes of death influencing life expectancy.FindingsAll countries showed mean annual improvements in life expectancy in both 1990–2011 (overall mean 0·23 years [95% uncertainty interval [UI] 0·23 to 0·24]) and 2011–19 (overall mean 0·15 years [0·13 to 0·16]). The rate of improvement was lower in 2011–19 than in 1990–2011 in all countries except for Norway, where the mean annual increase in life expectancy rose from 0·21 years (95% UI 0·20 to 0·22) in 1990–2011 to 0·23 years (0·21 to 0·26) in 2011–19 (difference of 0·03 years). In other countries, the difference in mean annual improvement between these periods ranged from –0·01 years in Iceland (0·19 years [95% UI 0·16 to 0·21] vs 0·18 years [0·09 to 0·26]), to –0·18 years in England (0·25 years [0·24 to 0·25] vs 0·07 years [0·06 to 0·08]). In 2019–21, there was an overall decrease in mean annual life expectancy across all countries (overall mean –0·18 years [95% UI –0·22 to –0·13]), with all countries having an absolute fall in life expectancy except for Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, which showed marginal improvement in life expectancy, and Belgium, which showed no change in life expectancy. Across countries, the causes of death responsible for the largest improvements in life expectancy from 1990 to 2011 were cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms. Deaths from cardiovascular diseases were the primary driver of reductions in life expectancy improvements during 2011–19, and deaths from respiratory infections and other COVID-19 pandemic-related outcomes were responsible for the decreases in life expectancy during 2019–21. Deaths from cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms in 2019 were attributable to high systolic blood pressure, dietary risks, tobacco smoke, high LDL cholesterol, high BMI, occupational risks, high alcohol use, and other risks including low physical activity. Exposure to these major risk factors differed by country, with trends of increasing exposure to high BMI and decreasing exposure to tobacco smoke observed in all countries during 1990–2021.InterpretationThe countries that best maintained improvements in life expectancy after 2011 (Norway, Iceland, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden) did so through better maintenance of reductions in mortality from cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms, underpinned by decreased exposures to major risks, possibly mitigated by government policies. The continued improvements in life expectancy in five countries during 2019–21 indicate that these countries were better prepared to withstand the COVID-19 pandemic. By contrast, countries with the greatest slowdown in life expectancy improvements after 2011 went on to have some of the largest decreases in life expectancy in 2019–21. These findings suggest that government policies that improve population health also build resilience to future shocks. Such policies include reducing population exposure to major upstream risks for cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms, such as harmful diets and low physical activity, tackling the commercial determinants of poor health, and ensuring access to affordable health services.

In 2024, the average life expectancy in the world was 71 years for men and 76 years for women. The lowest life expectancies were found in Africa, while Oceania and Europe had the highest. What is life expectancy?Life expectancy is defined as a statistical measure of how long a person may live, based on demographic factors such as gender, current age, and most importantly the year of their birth. The most commonly used measure of life expectancy is life expectancy at birth or at age zero. The calculation is based on the assumption that mortality rates at each age were to remain constant in the future. Life expectancy has changed drastically over time, especially during the past 200 years. In the early 20th century, the average life expectancy at birth in the developed world stood at 31 years. It has grown to an average of 70 and 75 years for males and females respectively, and is expected to keep on growing with advances in medical treatment and living standards continuing. Highest and lowest life expectancy worldwide Life expectancy still varies greatly between different regions and countries of the world. The biggest impact on life expectancy is the quality of public health, medical care, and diet. As of 2022, the countries with the highest life expectancy were Japan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Australia, all at 84–83 years. Most of the countries with the lowest life expectancy are mostly African countries. The ranking was led by the Chad, Nigeria, and Lesotho with 53–54 years.

This bar chart displays life expectancy at birth (year) by region using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Europe. The data is about countries.

In 2024 life expectancy in France is a question of region, department and city

In France, life expectancy at birth is 85.3 years for women and 79.4 years for men. This means that on average, a French woman born in 2024 will live to the age of 85.3 years, and a man to the age of 79.4.

However, life expectancy varies considerably depending on the region, department and city where you live.

In region

Life expectancy is highest in Île-de-France, with 86.6 years for women and 81.9 years for men. Then come Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (86.5 years for women, 81.7 years for men), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (86.4 years for women, 81.5 years for men) and Brittany (86.2 years for women, 81.3 years for men).

Conversely, life expectancy is lowest in Hauts-de-France, with 83.9 years for women and 78.9 years for men. Then come Normandy (84.1 years for women, 79.1 years for men), Centre-Val de Loire (84.2 years for women, 79.3 years for men) and Burgundy-Franche-Comté (84.3 years for women, 79.4 years for men).

Department

At the departmental level, the departments where we live the longest are Hauts-de-Seine (86.7 years for women, 81.9 years for men), Yvelines (86.4 years for women, 81.6 years for men), Val-de-Marne (86.3 years for women, 81.3 years for men), Paris (86.2 years for women, 81.1 years for men) and Haute-Garonne (86.2 years for women, 81.1 years for men).

Conversely, the departments where we live the least long are Creuse (76.4 years for women, 72.3 years for men), Pas-de-Calais (76.6 years for women, 72.5 years for men), Aisne (76.7 years for women, 72.6 years for men) and Somme (76.8 years for women, 72.7 years for men).

In town

At the municipal level, the cities where we live the longest are Paris (86.2 years for women, 81.1 years for men), Neuilly-sur-Seine (86.1 years for women, 81.0 years for men), Boulogne-Billancourt (85.9 years for women, 80.8 years for men), Rueil-Malmaison (85.8 years for women, 80.7 years for men) and Issy-les-Moulineaux (85.7 years for women, 80.6 years for men).

Conversely, the cities with the least long lived are The Crown (75.4 years for women, 71.3 years for men), Saint-Quentin (75.5 years for women, 71.4 years for men), Maubeuge (75.6 years for women, 71.5 years for men) and Valenciennes (75.7 years for women, 71.6 years for men).

Factors that influence life expectancy

Many factors influence life expectancy, including:

• Standard of living
• Access to care
• The conditions

To view life expectancy for a specific region, department or city, please consult the following document:

This line chart displays life expectancy at birth (year) by date using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Northern Europe. The data is about countries per year.

The indicator Healthy Life Years (HLY) at age 65 measures the number of years that a person at age 65 is still expected to live in a healthy condition. HLY is a health expectancy indicator which combines information on mortality and morbidity. The data required are the age-specific prevalence (proportions) of the population in healthy and unhealthy conditions and age-specific mortality information. A healthy condition is defined by the absence of limitations in functioning/disability. The indicator is calculated separately for males and females. The indicator is also called disability-free life expectancy (DFLE). Life expectancy at age 65 is defined as the mean number of years still to be lived by a person at age 65, if subjected throughout the rest of his or her life to the current mortality conditions.

A global phenomenon, known as the demographic transition, has seen life expectancy from birth increase rapidly over the past two centuries. In pre-industrial societies, the average life expectancy was around 24 years, and it is believed that this was the case throughout most of history, and in all regions. The demographic transition then began in the industrial societies of Europe, North America, and the West Pacific around the turn of the 19th century, and life expectancy rose accordingly. Latin America was the next region to follow, before Africa and most Asian populations saw their life expectancy rise throughout the 20th century.

This table contains the period survival tables (per period of 1 year and 5 years) by sex and age for the population of the Netherlands. The table shows how many boys or girls from a group of 100,000 newborns will reach the age of 0, 1, 2, etc. on December 31 of the year of observation. It is also possible to see how old these children will be on average. The following breakdowns are possible: - Mortality probability by sex and age; - Living (table population) by sex and age; - Deaths (table population) by sex and age; - Life expectancy by sex and age. Data available from: - one-year periods: from 1950 - five-year periods: from 1861 to 1866. Status of the figures: All figures included in the table are final. Changes as of June 16, 2023: Final figures for 2022 have been added. When will new numbers come out? The figures for 2023 will be published in the second quarter of 2024.

This bar chart displays life expectancy at birth (year) by countries using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Europe. The data is about countries.