Life expectancy at birth in Europe (WHO region)
Europe (WHO region): Life expectancy at birth was 76.29 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
76.29
Change on year
down 0.8%
Rank
3rd
of 11 groups
All-time high
78.1
in 2019
All-time low
72.4
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Life expectancy at birth in Europe (WHO region), 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth in Europe (WHO region) is 76.29, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Europe (WHO region) peaked at 78.1 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 72.4, in 2000.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth in Europe (WHO region), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 72.4 | — |
| 2001 | 72.67 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 72.71 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 72.79 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 73.32 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 73.41 | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 74.11 | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 74.52 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 74.82 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 75.32 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 75.63 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 76.14 | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 76.36 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 76.7 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 76.89 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 77.02 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 77.35 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 77.62 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 77.75 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 78.1 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 76.92 | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 76.29 | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 73.61 | 72.4 | 75.32 | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.96 | 75.63 | 78.1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.6 | 76.29 | 76.92 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Europe (WHO region)
More health data for Europe (WHO region)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases 52,021 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases 38,686 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases 199 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases 85 (2025)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases 1 (2025)
- Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard 25.9% (2024)
- Neonatal mortality rate 4.1 (2024)
- Obesity among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +2 standard 10.3% (2024)
- Overweight among adults, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) 55.0% (2024)
- Number of neonatal deaths 39,506 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in Europe (WHO region)?
- Life expectancy at birth in Europe (WHO region) was 76.29 in 2021, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Europe (WHO region)?
- The highest recorded value was 78.1 in 2019.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Europe (WHO region)?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.4 in 2000.
- How does Europe (WHO region) rank for life expectancy at birth?
- Europe (WHO region) ranks 3rd out of 11 groups with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Europe (WHO region)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe (WHO region) data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Life expectancy at birth (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).