Life expectancy
Life expectancy says something about the expected length of life, based on mortality rates. In 2016, the Dutch population had an average life expectancy at birth of 81.7 years. How wide is the gap between men and women, and how does the Netherlands compare to other EU countries? What about the healthy life expectancy?
In 2016, average life expectancy at birth in the European Union stood at 81.0 years. Spain (83.5 years) and Italy (83.4 years) have the highest life expectancy. At 74.9 years, inhabitants of Bulgaria, Latvia and Lithuania fall six years short of the EU average. Dutch life expectancy at birth stood at 81.7 years in 2016.
Average life expectancy in the European Union is 83.6 years for women versus 78.2 years for men. The life expectancy of Dutch men is almost two years higher than the EU average, namely 80.0 years. At 83.2 years, female life expectancy is close to the EU average.
Relatively low healthy life expectancy of Dutch women
People are getting older, but do they grow old in good health? Healthy life expectancy refers to the projected number of healthy life years, for example without being hindered by health problems in one’s day-to-day activities.
Both Dutch men and women report such problems relatively often, but (young) women more so. Healthy life expectancy (at birth) among Dutch women is 57.8 years, well below the EU average of 64.2 years. Healthy life expectancy among European women ranges from 54.9 (Latvia) to 73.3 years (Sweden).