Bulgarians Rank Third Among 30 European Countries in Terms of Healthy Life Expectancy

Bulgarians rank third among 30 European countries in terms of life expectancy in good health, according to data from Eurostat.

They live in good health for an average of 68.6 years, with only Malta and Italy ahead of Bulgaria in this regard.

Bulgarian women hold second place. According to the data, in 2023 Bulgarian women lived on average up to 71 years in good health, surpassed only by Maltese women, who exceeded them by one month. At the bottom of the ranking are Switzerland, Denmark, and Latvia, where people remain in good health only until around 54–55 years of age.

Bulgarian men also hold a strong position. They are fifth in the European ranking, with an average of 66.3 years lived in good health. Leading the men’s chart are Malta (71.7 years), followed by Italy, Sweden, and Norway. The lowest figures for men were observed in Slovakia, Estonia, and Denmark, where men live in good health for an average of 56.8, 56.5, and 51.2 years, respectively.

Across the European Union, the average number of years lived in good health in 2023 was 63.1 years — 63.3 years for women and 62.8 years for men.

The average life expectancy for women in the EU is 5.3 years longer than that of men (84 years compared to 78.7 years), according to the statistics.

The years spent in good health account for approximately 75% of total life expectancy for women and 80% for men.

Only nine EU countries report that men tend to outlive women in good health.

Source: BTA