Life expectancy in Europe – Women live longer than men

According to a new report, the gap between sexes is 7.5 years.

13:13 16 March 2013

The World Health Organization team has conducted a survey involving nearly nine million people in 53 countries. The survey found that although people in general live longer than ever, there is less improvement seen in men.

As of 2010, the average life expectancy of women in Europe is 80 years, while men reach an average of 72.5 years.  The 7.5 years gap according to experts can be explained by lifestyle and occupational differences.

The European Health Report also reveals a huge difference in average life expectancy between different countries.


Countries with the widest male-female difference are Belarus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Montenegro, The Russian Federation, and Ukraine. Those with smallest were Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK.

The gap between the best and the worst countries for male life expectancy is 17 years. For women, it is 12.

In UK, the average life expectancy for women is 80-82.5 years and 78.5 for men.