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.

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 44 countries was 81.91 years. The highest value was in Spain: 85.9 years and the lowest value was in Moldova: 73.32 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Graph and download economic data for Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia (SPDYNLE00INECA) from 1960 to 2023 about Central Asia, life expectancy, life, birth, and Europe.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Central Europe and the Baltics (SPDYNLE00INCEB) from 1960 to 2023 about Baltics, Central Europe, life expectancy, life, birth, and Europe.

Licensed under: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

Data Source

The data source is Eurostat.

Content

The data contains life expectancy in Europe grouped by Country (or other, like group of countries), Age, Sex, and Time.

Data transformation

From the initial format in TSV format, we process the data using the notebook Life expectancy in Europe - Convert TSV to CSV to convert it in csv format and add years as a new column (by pivoting the time list of columns). The resulting dataset has the following columns: * unit - the unit used for the values
* sex * geo - geography - countries in EU or groups of countries from EU
* year
* value - the life expectancy for the current sex type, geography and year

Inspiration

Use this dataset to explore info about life expectancy in Europe's countries.

Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in European Union was reported at 78.81 years in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. European Union - Life expectancy at birth, male (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in European Union was reported at 81.41 years in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. European Union - Life expectancy at birth, total (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for the European Union (SPDYNLE00INEUU) from 1960 to 2023 about life expectancy, life, EU, birth, and Europe.

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.

Historical chart and dataset showing European Union life expectancy by year from 1960 to 2023.

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 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.

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 European Census dataset covers data on population, fertility, as well as life expectancy in the recent years or projected to 2050. It arranges Europe into 11 types of regions according to different ways of classification.

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

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.

Life expectancy at birth, female (years) in European Union was reported at 84.16 years in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. European Union - Life expectancy at birth, female (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.