Life expectancy

An average based on this year's death rates, not a forecast.

Life expectancy at birth is the number of years a newborn would live if the death rates of the reference year applied throughout their life. It is a summary of current mortality, not a prediction for today's babies.

Life expectancy at 65 shows how many more years people of that age can expect. Healthy life years add how much of that time is lived without limitations from health problems.

A one-off rise in deaths, such as during an epidemic or war, lowers life expectancy for that year even if most people are unaffected.

Measures on this site

• Life expectancy at birth (Eurostat) (Eurostat)
• Life expectancy at birth (UN estimates) (World Bank)
• Life expectancy at age 65 (Eurostat)
• Healthy life years at birth (Eurostat)