EU life expectancy climbs to record high of 81.5 years in 2024
Life expectancies across the European Union reached a new peak at birth for 2024, rising by just over one month from last year's figure and surpassing all previous records including those set before the global health crisis.
Key Points
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1Life expectancy in the European Union reached a record high of 81.5 years at birth for both men and women combined.
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2This represents an increase from previous records, surpassing pre-pandemic levels set in late-2019 (approximately 81.3 to 81.4 depending on source).
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3The pandemic caused a significant decline during the peak years of COVID-19 between early and mid-to-late 2020.
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4Recovery has been steady since then, with life expectancy in late-2023 already exceeding pre-pandemic figures.
Developments
Life expectancy across Europe reached an average of 81.5 years in 2023, with a significant gender gap where European females live on average five more than males do due to their longer lifespans and lower mortality rates compared men's life expectancies are increasing at slightly faster rate over the past year despite this trend women tend outlive them by an even wider margin.
Eurostat reported that EU life expectancy at birth reached 81.5 years in 2024, marking an increase following a pandemic-induced decline to its lowest point of 80.1 years in early 2023 and subsequent recovery above the pre-pandemic level established by Eurostat's data on mortality statistics submitted via Reddit user /u/Naurgul [link]