Life expectancy in Belgium
Belgium: Life expectancy was 80.79 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy in Belgium, 1870–2020
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2020, life expectancy in Belgium stood at 80.79 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Belgium peaked at 80.89 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 40.9 years, in 1870.
Belgium ranks 27th of 162 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Belgium, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 40.9 years | — |
| 1880 | 42.5 years | +3.9% |
| 1890 | 44.09 years | +3.7% |
| 1900 | 46.7 years | +5.9% |
| 1913 | 52.5 years | +12.4% |
| 1925 | 57.09 years | +8.7% |
| 1929 | 57.91 years | +1.4% |
| 1933 | 58.7 years | +1.4% |
| 1938 | 60.12 years | +2.4% |
| 1950 | 66.3 years | +10.3% |
| 1955 | 68.54 years | +3.4% |
| 1960 | 69.62 years | +1.6% |
| 1965 | 70.55 years | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 70.94 years | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 71.96 years | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 73.24 years | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 74.47 years | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 76.06 years | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 76.84 years | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 77.77 years | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 79.05 years | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 80.03 years | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 80.89 years | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 80.79 years | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 40.9 years | 40.9 years | 40.9 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 42.5 years | 42.5 years | 42.5 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 44.09 years | 44.09 years | 44.09 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 46.7 years | 46.7 years | 46.7 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 52.5 years | 52.5 years | 52.5 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 57.5 years | 57.09 years | 57.91 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 59.41 years | 58.7 years | 60.12 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 67.42 years | 66.3 years | 68.54 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 70.09 years | 69.62 years | 70.55 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 71.45 years | 70.94 years | 71.96 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 73.85 years | 73.24 years | 74.47 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 76.45 years | 76.06 years | 76.84 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 78.41 years | 77.77 years | 79.05 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 80.46 years | 80.03 years | 80.89 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 80.79 years | 80.79 years | 80.79 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More health data for Belgium
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -3.28 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2923 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,160 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 59 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -1.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.0768 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -1.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.0803 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Belgium?
- Life expectancy in Belgium was 80.79 years in 2020, according to Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 80.89 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.9 years in 1870.
- How does Belgium rank for life expectancy?
- Belgium ranks 27th out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.