Life expectancy at birth in Cyprus was 81.3 years in 2021, according to data published by Eurostat.
Although in 2021 the average life expectancy in Cyprus was more than a year higher than the EU average (80.1 years), the data show it recorded a drop (-1) compared for example to 2019 when it reached 82.3 years and 2020 (82.4 years).
Overall, life expectancy across the EU dropped in 2021, probably as a result of the sudden increase in mortality because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Eurostat notes.
Women tend to live longer
Life expectancy for women (83.4 in Cyprus, 82.9 in the EU) continued to be higher than for men (79.2 in Cyprus, 77.2 in the EU) in 2021, however, both genders registered further decreases following a larger drop from 2019 to 2020.
Compared with 2020, life expectancy for both women and men decreased by 0.6 years for men and by 1 year for women in Cyprus, and by 0.3 years for both in the EU.
EU life expectancy increased by more than two years in past two decades
Between 2002 (the first year for which life expectancy data became available for all EU members) and 2021, life expectancy at birth in the EU increased by 2.5 years, from 77.6 to 80.1 years; the increase was 2.0 years for women and 2.9 years for men.
In Cyprus, life expectancy increased by 2.6 years between 2002 and 2021 (from 78.7 to 81.3 years); the increase was 2.4 for women and 2.8 years for men.
Highest life expectancy in Spain
At the country level, the highest life expectancy at birth was recorded in Spain (83.3 years), Sweden (83.1 years), Luxembourg and Italy (both 82.7 years), while the lowest was in Bulgaria (71.4 years), Romania (72.8 years) and Latvia (73.1 years).
The EU region with the highest life expectancy at birth was Madrid (85.4 years), followed by Navarre (84.8 years) and the Finnish region of Åland Islands (84.6 years).
On the other hand, the EU regions with the lowest life expectancy at birth were all in Bulgaria: North-West (69.7), North-Central (70.4), South-East (71.0) and North-East (71.2).