Life expectancy

1. Key messages

2. Life expectancy

Life expectancy at birth rises above pre-covid levels

In 2023, life expectancy at birth (LE) was 82.3 years in Belgium. It was 4.1 years higher in women (84.3 years) than in men (80.2 years). In 2023, it was the first time that life expectancy in men reached 80 years old. The LE has increased more rapidly in men than in women. In fact, between 2000 and 2023, the LE increased by 5.6 years in men and 3.4 years in women, reducing the gender gap. 

Life expectancy has been rising steadily for decades, except in 2012 and 2015, when a slight decrease was observed. In 2020, due to excess mortality caused by COVID-19, life expectancy fell by 1 year to 80.8 years. In 2022, an excess mortality of 5.1% was observed, concentrated during epidemic waves of COVID-19, during periods of heat, and during influenza and bronchiolitis epidemics [1]. In 2023, life expectancy increased to reach the highest level observed, above the 2019 level (pre-COVID period).

The decrease in life expectancy by 1 year between 2019 and 2020 is mainly due to the contribution of people with an age of 60 years and over. In men, the 60-79 age group contributed to the decrease by 0.55 years (or 55% of the 1-year decrease). In women, the 80+ age group contributed to the drop in LE by 0.59 years (or 66% of the 0.9-year decrease). 

In all regions, life expectancy exceeds pre-COVID levels

In 2023, the life expectancy at birth was the highest in the Flemish Region (83.2 years), intermediate in the Brussels-Capital Region (82.2 years), and lowest in the Walloon Region (80.6 years). The regional differences in LE at birth are larger in men than in women. In men, the LE in the Flemish Region was 3.0 years higher than in the Walloon Region, and 1.5 years higher than in the Brussels-Capital Region. In women, the LE in the Flemish Region was 2.1 years higher than in the Walloon Region and 0.6 years higher than in the Brussels-Capital Region.

During the period 2000-2023, the gains in LE were larger in men compared to women in all three regions: men gained 5.8, 5.1, and 5.3 years in the Flemish, Brussels-Capital, and Walloon Regions respectively, while women gained 3.6, 3.5, and 2.9 years.

In 2023, life expectancy increased in all regions, reaching above the 2019 level. 

The LE in the German-speaking Community was 81.9 years in 2023, 4.0 years higher in women (83.9 years) than in men (79.9 years).

Life expectancy is the highest in Flemish Brabant and the lowest in Hainaut

Provincial differences in life expectancy are significant. The differences between the province with the highest life expectancy, Flemish Brabant, and the province with the lowest, Hainaut, are 4.8 years for men and 3.4 years for women.

Except for Walloon Brabant, the Flemish provinces perform better than the Walloon provinces.

There is an important gap in life expectancy between advantaged and disadvantaged socio-economic groups

In 2019, a gradient in life expectancy was observed between distinct socio-economic groups. The gaps between the most advantaged and most disadvantaged groups reached 8.9 years in men and 6.0 years in women. In 2020, life expectancy decreased in every group for both sexes, with a lower decrease in the most advantaged group, further increasing the socio-economic gaps to 9.3 years in men and 6.3 years in women. In both years, the undetermined group had the lowest LE, and in 2020, the LE fall was the highest in this group.

Life expectancy in Belgium is at the EU-14 average  

In 2022, life expectancy in Belgium was close to the EU-14 average.

3. Read more

View the metadata for this indicator

SPMA: Standardized Procedures for Mortality Analysis in Belgium

Background

Life expectancy at a given age is the number of years a person of that age can expect to live, on average, based on current mortality conditions. Life expectancy at birth is the most common life expectancy indicator. It is a good indicator of the current level of health in a population across all generations.

However, in case of a temporary health crisis with an impact on mortality, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy has important limitations. Indeed, it is very likely that with the disappearance of the pandemic, mortality conditions will be very different in the near future from those observed during the crisis. Life expectancy in 2020, 2021 and 2022 must therefore be interpreted in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Life expectancy is presented in this report by sex, region, and socio-economic level.

The life expectancy by socio-economic level presented here comes from recent analyses carried out by the UCLouvain demographic institute for the years 2019 and 2020 [3]. Socio-economic groups are constructed based on a composite indicator that takes into account each individual's level of education, socio-professional category, housing conditions, and household income. Each individual obtains a score whose quartiles define four socio-economic groups: disadvantaged, middle low, middle high, and advantaged. A fifth group, called "undetermined", is made up of individuals for whom information was missing for at least two of the four dimensions. Brussels residents and people of African origin are over-represented in this group.

Definitions

EU-14

The EU-14 corresponds to all countries that belonged to the European Union between 1995 and 2004: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. We compare the Belgian health status to that of the EU-14 because these countries have similar socioeconomic conditions. Note: The United Kingdom is not included since 2020.

Life expectancy at birth

Life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a newborn can expect to live, if death rates of the reference are considered and do not change in the coming years.

Socio-economic groups
Socio-economic groups are constructed based on a composite indicator that takes into account each individual's level of education, socio-professional category, housing conditions, and household income. Each individual obtains a score whose quartiles define four socio-economic groups: disadvantaged, middle low, middle high, and advantaged. A fifth group, called "undetermined", is made up of individuals for whom information was missing for at least two of the four dimensions. Brussels residents and people of African origin are over-represented in this group.

References

1. Sciensano. Analyse de la surmortalité en 2022. https://www.sciensano.be/fr/coin-presse/analyse-de-la-surmortalite-en-2022 
2. Statbel, 2000-2023. https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/population/life-expectancy-and-life-tables
3. Bourguignon M, Damiens J, Doignon Y, Eggerickx T, Fontaine S, Lusyne P, et al. Variations spatiales et sociodémographiques de mortalité de 2020-2021 en Belgique. L’effet de la pandémie Covid-19, Document de travail 27. Louvain-la-Neuve: Centre de recherche en démographie; 2021.
4. OECD Health Data. https://stats.oecd.org/

Please cite this page as: Sciensano. Life Expectancy and Quality of Life: Life Expectancy, Health Status Report, 15 Jul 2024, Brussels, Belgium, https://www.healthybelgium.be/en/health-status/life-expectancy-and-quality-of-life/life-expectancy