Women in all EU member states have a longer life expectancy than men at age 65, while healthy life expectancy at age 65 is higher for men than for women in ten states, according to statistics published by Eurostat, on 19 April. The figures were released in connection with the first meeting of the European Joint Action on Healthy Life Years ⁽¹⁾ organised as part of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012.

For the population aged 65, life expectancy was estimated at 21 years for women and 17.4 years for men in the EU27 in 2010 and the number of healthy life years at 8.8 for women and 8.7 for men.

In 2010, the longest life expectancy at age 65 was observed in France (23.4 years), Spain (22.7) and Italy (22.1) for women, and in France (18.9), Spain (18.6) and Greece (18.5) for men. The shortest life expectancy at age 65 was registered in Bulgaria (17), Romania (17.2) and Slovakia (18) for women, and in Latvia (13.3), Lithuania (13.5) and Bulgaria (13.6) for men.

In 2010, the largest number of healthy life years after age 65 was registered in Sweden (15.5), Denmark (12.8), Luxembourg (12.4), Malta (11.9) and the United Kingdom (11.8) for women, and in Sweden (14.1), Malta (12,), Denmark (11.8), Ireland (11.1) and the United Kingdom (10.8) for men. The lowest healthy life expectancy for women and men was observed in Slovakia (2.8 and 3.3).