Lowest Life Expectancy in the EU Recorded Among Bulgarians
In 2023, Bulgaria recorded the lowest life expectancy in the European Union (EU). This figure stood at just 75.8 years, compared to the EU average of 81.5 years. Sofia Globe reports this, citing Eurostat research.
It's worth noting that Bulgaria has long had low life expectancy compared to other EU countries. In 2015, for instance, it had the lowest life expectancy for women in the EU at 78.6 years. Bulgaria also consistently ranks low in life expectancy in annual Eurostat surveys.
Fifteen EU countries had a life expectancy in 2023 exceeding the EU average. The highest life expectancies were in Spain (84 years), Italy (83.8 years), and Malta (83.6 years). Conversely, apart from Bulgaria, the lowest life expectancy was recorded in Latvia (75.9 years) and Romania (76.6 years).
Overall, according to Eurostat data, the average life expectancy in the EU increased by 0.9 years in 2023. The average European now has a good chance of living to a ripe old age of 81.5 years. Thus, the European Union has returned to pre-pandemic levels of life expectancy, surpassing it by 0.2 years.
Comparing to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, life expectancy increased in 18 EU countries in 2023, remained stable in two countries, and decreased in six.
The largest increase was observed in Romania (+1.0 year), followed by Lithuania (+0.8 year), Bulgaria, Czechia, Luxembourg, and Malta (all with an increase of +0.7 year).
Conversely, Austria and Finland experienced the largest decrease (-0.4 year each), followed by Estonia and the Netherlands (-0.2 year each).
Life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a newborn would live based on current mortality rates in a given country. However, this can change due to extraordinary events affecting mortality rates, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, The Gaze reported that Finland has topped the global happiness ranking for the seventh consecutive year among EU countries. Denmark and Sweden, Finland's neighbors, were named among the happiest countries globally, ranking second and fourth, respectively. Iceland also claimed the third spot in the happiness ranking. Other EU countries in the top ten happiest countries included Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Australia, ranking from 5th to 10th place, respectively.