In other European nations, women’s life expectancy is increasing faster than in the Netherlands, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
A newly born Dutch girl in 2014 had an average life expectancy of 83,3 years. This is an increase of 2,4 years since 2004. For boys the average life span was 79,9 years in 2014, an increase of 3,6 years compared to 2003.
Thirty years ago Dutch women had one of the highest life expectancies in Europe.
While women’s lifespans have not increased at the same pace as in other European nations, Dutch men still occupy seventh place in terms of life expectancy.
The gap in life expectancy at birth between men and women has narrowed in recent years from 6,5 years in the mid-1980s to 3,4 years in 2014.
One of the main reasons for this is that the difference between the number of male and female smokers has become smaller since 1980.
Newborns in Spain, Italy, Cyprus and France have the highest expected lifespan in the European Union.
Babies born in Latvia and Lithuania have the lowest life expectancy, a difference of almost 10 years compared to the top nations.
A newly born Spanish girl can expect to live an average of 86 years, while for a Bulgarian girl this is 78,6 years.
Source: CBS
The difference is more significant for men. Italian men have an average expected life span of 80,3 years, while Lithuanian men live an average of 68,5 years.
The comparison between the Netherlands and the European Union is part of an elaborate survey presented by the CBS.
The survey includes data on a wide range of important social issues and is published on the occasion of the EU presidency of the Netherlands during the first half of 2016.