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(CN) — Whether it’s because of universal health care, genetics or the wine, life expectancy in the European Union continues to rise, according to Eurostat data published Friday, with the average European outliving the average American by five years.
Last year, the average European lived to the ripe old age of 81 years and six months, an increase of nearly a full year from 2022, and more than two months longer than the average in pre-pandemic years.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculate an average American life expectancy of 76 years and five months — the shortest in nearly two decades.
Lifespans for people in 15 of the EU’s 27 member states average even higher. Spain reported the longest life with an 84-year average lifespan. Italians and the Maltese also tend to live beyond 83.
Bulgaria, Latvia and Romania reported the shortest lifespans in the EU, around 76 years — right on par with the U.S.
Romania and Lithuania reported the highest gains when compared to 2019, while Austria and Finland reported the greatest losses, about five months each.
“Official statistics reveal that life expectancy has risen, on average, by more than two years per decade since the 1960s,” Eurostat researchers explain.)ed in a March report. “In 2020, however, after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, this indicator declined in 25 Member States compared to 2019, the exceptions being Denmark and Cyprus.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, EU life expectancy fell to 80 years and five months, an average loss of 11 months from the year prior. During the pandemic, men’s life expectancy dropped by 12 months, a higher rate than women, who on average lost 10 months.
Researchers report an average 5-year age gap between the life spans of men and women living in the EU, with women living to about 83 years old in 2022, compared to men who averaged 77 years.
American women are similarly expected to outlive American men by nearly six years — American women live 79 years and four months on average, while men only live about 73 years and six months.
The EU’s death rate slowed nearly 3% in 2022 to 5.1 million lives lost. At the same time, birth rates declined, with an average 1.46 live births born to women in 2022, down from 1.53 the year prior. Longer lives coupled with lower births led to a two year uptick in average age, with a median age in Europe today of 44 years and six months.
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