Life expectancy in the EU, 2024: where people live longest
Published
Life expectancy at birth was 81.5 years across the EU in 2024, from 84.0 in Spain to 75.8 in Bulgaria. Women could expect to live 5.2 years longer than men, a gap that reached 9.8 years in Latvia and only 2.8 in the Netherlands. Here are the figures for all 27 EU countries.
A baby born in the EU in 2024 could expect to live 81.5 years, if it were subject throughout its life to the death rates at each age observed that year. That is life expectancy at birth, a standard measure of how long people live. The figures below come from the Eurostat database, with 2024 as the latest year for all 27 countries, and from Eurostat's news release of 13 March 2026.
Life expectancy reflects much more than a health system. Income, diet, smoking and drinking, road accidents, work and the environment all play a part, so this ranking says how long people live, not which country has the best hospitals.
Two notes on the data. From 2024, Eurostat calculates life expectancy with single ages up to 95 and over, instead of up to 85 and over, and will revise earlier years with the new method; the 2024 figures are therefore not directly comparable with those of earlier years. The figures for France are provisional, those for Poland and the EU are estimated and provisional, and those for Romania are estimated.
The table
Ranked by life expectancy for the whole population, in years.
| Rank | Country | Total | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 84.0 | 86.5 | 81.4 |
| 2 | Sweden | 83.8 | 85.3 | 82.3 |
| 3 | Italy | 83.7 | 85.7 | 81.6 |
| 4 | Cyprus | 83.5 | 85.6 | 81.5 |
| 5 | Luxembourg | 83.2 | 85.5 | 81.0 |
| 6 | Ireland | 83.1 | 84.7 | 81.4 |
| 7 | France | 83.0 | 85.8 | 80.2 |
| 7 | Malta | 83.0 | 84.8 | 81.2 |
| 9 | Portugal | 82.5 | 85.2 | 79.7 |
| 10 | Belgium | 82.4 | 84.4 | 80.3 |
| 11 | Finland | 82.2 | 84.8 | 79.6 |
| 12 | Austria | 82.1 | 84.3 | 79.8 |
| 12 | Slovenia | 82.1 | 84.7 | 79.5 |
| 14 | Denmark | 82.0 | 83.9 | 80.2 |
| 15 | Greece | 81.9 | 84.4 | 79.4 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 81.9 | 83.3 | 80.5 |
| 17 | Germany | 81.2 | 83.5 | 78.9 |
| 18 | Czechia | 80.1 | 83.0 | 77.1 |
| 19 | Estonia | 79.4 | 83.4 | 75.1 |
| 20 | Croatia | 78.9 | 81.8 | 76.0 |
| 21 | Poland | 78.5 | 82.2 | 74.8 |
| 22 | Slovakia | 78.4 | 81.7 | 75.2 |
| 23 | Lithuania | 77.5 | 81.6 | 73.0 |
| 24 | Hungary | 76.8 | 79.9 | 73.7 |
| 25 | Romania | 76.5 | 80.3 | 72.8 |
| 26 | Latvia | 76.4 | 81.2 | 71.4 |
| 27 | Bulgaria | 75.8 | 79.5 | 72.2 |
| EU | 81.5 | 84.1 | 78.9 |
Where people live longest
Spain had the highest life expectancy in 2024, at 84.0 years, followed by Sweden (83.8) and Italy (83.7). Cyprus, Luxembourg, Ireland, France and Malta were also at 83.0 or above.
Spain also had the highest figure for women, at 86.5 years, ahead of France (85.8) and Italy (85.7). For men, Sweden came first at 82.3 years, followed by Italy (81.6) and Cyprus (81.5).
Where life expectancy is lowest
Bulgaria had the lowest life expectancy, at 75.8 years, followed by Latvia (76.4) and Romania (76.5). Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia and Estonia were also below 80.
The gap between the top and the bottom of the table is 8.2 years: a baby born in Spain in 2024 could expect to live that much longer than one born in Bulgaria.
The lowest figures for men were in Latvia (71.4 years), Bulgaria (72.2) and Romania (72.8). For women, they were in Bulgaria (79.5), Hungary (79.9) and Romania (80.3).
The gap between women and men
Across the EU, women could expect to live 5.2 years longer than men in 2024: 84.1 years against 78.9.
According to Eurostat, the gap was largest in Latvia, at 9.8 years, followed by Lithuania (8.6) and Estonia (8.4). It was smallest in the Netherlands (2.8 years), Sweden (3.1) and Ireland (3.4). Eurostat calculates these gaps from unrounded figures, so subtracting the rounded values in the table can give a result that differs by 0.1 year.
The countries with the largest gaps are also among those where men's life expectancy is lowest. Where men live longer, as in Sweden, the Netherlands and Ireland, the gap is smaller.
What the figures do not show
- Healthy years. Life expectancy counts years lived, not years lived in good health.
- Regional differences. National figures hide large gaps between regions within the same country.
- The care you would get. For access to public healthcare as a newcomer, see our article on public healthcare for expats.
How to use these figures
- Read them as a broad picture. A difference of a few tenths of a year between neighbours in the table says little.
- Look at the gap between women and men. It shows where men in particular die younger.
- Combine with other measures. For safety, schools and healthcare outcomes together, see the best countries to move to with a family.
Country profiles: Spain, Sweden, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Romania and Lithuania.
Countries in this article
The guide is delivered in English. Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Chinese versions are sent on request after purchase.
Related
Sources
- Eurostat. Life expectancy by age and sex (demo_mlexpec), less than 1 year, 2024. accessed .
- Eurostat. EU life expectancy increases again and hits 81.5 years (news release of 13 March 2026). accessed .
- Eurostat. Mortality (demo_mor), reference metadata: definition of life expectancy. accessed .