According to preliminary data, life expectancy at birth in the EU was 81.7 years in 2024, up 0.3 years compared with 2023, according to data from the EU’s statistics agency Eurostat.
The information comes from provisional data on life expectancy published by Eurostat.
Life expectancy exceeded the EU average in 15 countries, with the highest life expectancy recorded in Italy and Sweden (both 84.1 years) and Spain (84.0 years).
By contrast, the lowest life expectancy was recorded in Bulgaria (75.9 years), Romania (76.6 years) and Latvia (76.7 years).
Life expectancy at birth, 2024 (years) (Eurostat)
When compared with the pre-pandemic level in 2019, out of the 26 EU countries for which preliminary data are available, 24 countries experienced an increase in life expectancy in 2024. The largest increases have been observed in Lithuania (+1.1 year), Czechia, Latvia and Romania (+1.0 years each).
The Netherlands was the only country that recorded a decline (-0.2 years), life expectancy remained stable in Spain, while France had a slight increase of 0.1 years.
Thematic section on population and demography
