Bulgarians and Romanians have lowest life expectancy in EU, Eurostat data shows

Romania recorded the second-lowest life expectancy in the European Union in 2024, at 76.6 years, trailing only Bulgaria at 75.9 years, according to preliminary figures released Thursday, September 11, by Eurostat, and quoted by Agerpres. The EU average stood at 81.7 years, up 0.3 years compared with 2023.

Italy and Sweden topped the ranking with 84.1 years, followed closely by Spain at 84 years.

Despite lagging behind most member states, Romania has seen progress, the same report said. Life expectancy increased by one year compared with 2019, placing it among the countries with the largest post-pandemic gains alongside Lithuania, Czechia, and Latvia.

Overall, 24 of the 26 EU countries with available data reported higher life expectancy in 2024 than before the pandemic.

The Netherlands was the only member state where life expectancy fell, dropping by 0.2 years compared to 2019. Spain remained stable, while France saw only a marginal increase of 0.1 years.

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