Infographic: Life Expectancy in top 5 European Markets
This week, HBI looks at the life expectancy of total populations in the big five Western European markets – the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain – using public data from OECD. This report doesn’t include Scandinavian countries which notoriously boast the longest life expectancies on the continent.
The figures show life expectancy trending upwards, except for a small dip in 2015 and a larger dip in 2020 – a dent caused by the global pandemic, with a partial recovery in 2021.
Our graph stops at 2021 for Italy, Germany, France, and Spain and at 2020 for the United Kingdom; data beyond this point was not available for all countries but the source data can be found here.
Spain has maintained its position at the top spot for over a decade. Prior to Covid in 2019, it reached a record average of 84 years before dipping to just over 82 years old in the space of a year. To read more about health care in Spain take a look at our Spanish healthcare report found here.
The United Kingdom has had a relatively consistent upwards trajectory in age expectancy. The data is not currently available beyond 2020, however a report this month from UK publication the Economist indicates that British life expectancy has fallen down in the ranks over the last 70 years, now performing worse than all G7 countries excluding the United States. To read more about health care in the UK click here.
The chart shows that Germany has the lowest life expectancy compared to the rest of its cohort, only surpassing the UK once in 2020. However, in 2020, it seems to have been impacted the least by Covid compared to its European counterparts. To read more about health care in Germany take a look at our German healthcare report found here.
France and Italy have remained firmly near the top and gone on very similar journeys, with Italy outperforming France slightly. However, Italy was much harder hit by the pandemic in 2020. To read more about health care in France take a look at our French healthcare report found here. To read more about health care in Italy take a look at our Italian healthcare report found here.
We would welcome your thoughts on this story. Email your views to Michaila Byrne or call 0207 183 3779.
