Romania has the highest increase in life expectancy in the EU

Romania recorded the highest increase in life expectancy, between 2019 and 2023, among EU countries. Even so, however, it remains at the bottom of the life expectancy ranking, far below the EU average.

Thus, according to Eurostat, quoted by EFE, the largest increase in life expectancy from 2019 until 2023 was recorded in Romania, the increase in life expectancy being one year, followed by Lithuania (+0.8 years) and Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Luxembourg and Malta (all with an increase of +0.7 years).

At the opposite pole are Austria and Finland, which recorded the biggest decreases in life expectancy (minus 0.4 years each), followed by Estonia and the Netherlands (minus 0.2 years).

Regarding the top of life expectancy in EU countries, Spain is the country with the highest life expectancy, at 84 years, and it is above the Community average, which is 81.5 years, while Romania has the third lowest life expectancy in the EU, of 76.6 years.

Romania is followed in this ranking only by Latvia, with 75.9 years and Bulgaria, with 75.8 years.

This is preliminary data collected at the end of 2023, according to which Spain has the highest life expectancy at birth in the entire European Union (84 years), followed closely by Italy (83.8 years) and Malta (83.6 years ).

In total, 15 of the 27 EU member countries exceed the EU average for life expectancy (81.5 years).

In general, the countries with the lowest life expectancy are those in Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries, while the countries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Central Europe have the highest life expectancy.

This is the life expectancy of all EU countries, ordered from highest to lowest:

• Spain (84 years)
• Italy (83.8 years)
• Malta (83.6)
• Sweden (83.4)
• Luxembourg (83.4)
• France (83.1)
• Belgium (82.5)
• Cyprus (82.5)
• Portugal (82.4)
• Netherlands (82)
• Slovenia (82)
• Denmark (81.9)
• Finland (81.7)
• Greece (81.6)
• Austria (81.6)
• Germany (81.2)
• Czech Republic (80)
• Estonia (78.8)
• Croatia (78.8)
• Poland (78.6)
• Slovakia (78.1)
• Lithuania (77.3)
• Hungary (76.9)
• Romania (76.6)
• Latvia (75.9)
• Bulgaria (75.8)

Comparing these data from 2023 with those from 2019, the reference year for establishing comparisons, being the last before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, it follows that up to 18 EU countries increased their life expectancy, while Spain remained stable, at 84 years old.