The Top 8 European Countries With the Longest Life Expectancy

Key Points

• Estimations for life expectancy in European countries with populations greater than 50,000 come from the World Bank Group, as of 2021.
• Norway and Sweden tie for the third-highest life expectancy in Europe.
• The country with the highest life expectancy in Europe also records the fourth-highest life expectancy in the world.
• On average, Europeans live around 2.2 years longer than Americans.
• The leading cause of death in Europe before the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was cancer, as of 2016.

#8 France

France records a life expectancy of 82.32 years, making it the country with the eighth-highest life expectancy in Europe. Additionally, France claims the eighteenth-highest life expectancy in the world. Males in France live to around 79.30 years while females typically see 85.50 years. One interesting fact about France is that the country records one of the highest life expectancy gaps between males and females when compared to other European countries. Females typically live 6.20 years longer than males. Finally, the life expectancy in France has increased since the year 2000 when it stood at 79.06 years.

#7 Luxembourg

Luxembourg claims Europe’s seventh-highest life expectancy and the world’s fifteenth-highest life expectancy at 82.75 years. Females in Luxembourg typically live around 84.90 years, and males record a life expectancy of 80.70 years. In addition, the life expectancy of Luxembourg has increased by 4.88 years since 2000 when the life expectancy measured 77.87 years.

#6 Italy

Italy’s life expectancy measures 82.80 years, ranking this country’s life expectancy as the sixth highest in Europe and the fourteenth highest in the world. Males in Italy record an average lifespan of 80.60 years, and females’ life expectancy measures 85.10 years. Additionally, the life expectancy in Italy increased from 79.78 years in 2000 to 82.20 years in 2021.

#5 Malta

The European country with the fifth-highest life expectancy is Malta at 82.86 years. Malta also holds the thirteenth spot on the list of countries with the highest life expectancies in the world. Females in Malta typically live to be 84.50 years old, and males record a life expectancy of 81.30 years. From 2000 to 2021, Malta’s life expectancy increased by 4.51 years.

#4 Iceland

Iceland ranks number four on the list of European countries with the highest life expectancy. Furthermore, this country records the twelfth-highest life expectancy in the world. Iceland’s life expectancy measures 83.12 years. Males in this country average 81.80 years, and females see around 84.50 years. Additionally, the life expectancy of Iceland has increased by 3.47 years over the last 20 years; Iceland’s life expectancy measured 79.65 years in 2000.

#3 Norway and Sweden

Norway and Sweden’s life expectancies measure 83.16 years, making them the third-highest life expectancies in Europe and the tenth-highest life expectancies in the world. Females in Norway average a life expectancy of 84.70 years while males average 81.70 years. The life expectancy of Norway in the year 2000 measured 78.63 years, demonstrating an increase in life expectancy of 4.53 years in the last two decades. On the other hand, females record a life expectancy of 85.00 years, and men see around 81.40 years in Sweden. Like Norway, Sweden’s life expectancy increased from 79.64 years to 83.16 years over the last two decades.

#2 Spain

Spain claims Europe’s second-highest life expectancy and the world’s ninth-highest life expectancy at 83.18 years. Men typically live around 80.30 years, and women live 86.20 years. Spain’s life expectancy increased by 4.21 years over the last two decades, measuring 78.97 years in 2000.

#1 Switzerland

Switzerland records the highest life expectancy in Europe and the fourth-highest life expectancy in the world. The life expectancy in Switzerland is 83.85 years. Additionally, females live longer than males in this country. Females record a life expectancy of 85.90 years while males typically see 81.90 years. Furthermore, the life expectancy in Switzerland has increased significantly in the last two decades, as it measured 79.68 years in 2000.

Summary Table