Cyprus records one of Europe’s highest life expectancies at 83.2 years. Still, Cypriots are living more years without good health, with 40% facing serious health limitations after retirement at 65 due to largely preventable factors.
Women in Cyprus can expect to live 84-85 years whilst men reach around 81, according to the Country Health Profile 2025: Cyprus. But Eurostat data reveals healthy life years—time without serious functional limitations—average just 65.7 years for women and 64.4 for men.
In statistical terms, Cypriot women spend their final 18-20 years living with some degree of health-related restriction, whilst men face 15-18 years of limitations. These restrictions typically stem from chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal problems that could have been prevented.
“The issue isn’t just living long. The issue is living well and ageing well,” Dimos Antoniou, executive president of the Observatory for the Elderly, told Phileleftheros.
Cyprus abandoned its own Mediterranean diet in favour of Western eating patterns heavy in processed foods, sugar and saturated fats, driving high rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The country also records consistently high obesity levels in adults and, alarmingly, in children. Excess weight fuels problems that emerge in old age—osteoarthritis that limits mobility and type 2 diabetes.
Universal car dependence, enabled by inadequate public transport, compounds the problem. Lack of physical activity drives musculoskeletal issues and muscle mass loss in the elderly. Cyprus’s smoking rates remain among the EU’s highest, with long-term effects that dramatically cut endurance and quality of life after 65.
Women suffer disproportionately from non-fatal but debilitating conditions like osteoporosis, arthritis and depression. Men more frequently face fatal diseases such as heart attacks, explaining their shorter lifespans.
Antoniou said the elderly don’t just face health problems during their final 15-20 years—they encounter thousands of obstacles securing what they need. Many can’t drive to doctors, hospitals, events or visit relatives. Proper public transport doesn’t exist, forcing multiple bus changes. Organised, comprehensive home care remains unavailable.
“Feeling trapped and having to depend on children, grandchildren or neighbours doesn’t contribute to what we call ‘good old age’,” he said.
The Observatory witnesses the consequences daily. Elderly Cypriots endure isolation, particularly visible in mountain communities and refugee settlements where loneliness has become endemic.
Reversing the pattern requires strategic change, Antoniou said. Adopting traditional Cypriot diet isn’t nostalgia but medicine. Exercise matters beyond youth—for those over 65, low-intensity activities like walking, swimming and gentle exercise maintain flexibility and reduce fall risk.
The GeSY health system makes preventive checks more accessible. Regulating blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar before damage occurs proves critical for avoiding future limitations.
Loneliness undermines health. Participation in community programmes, municipal activities, Adult Centres and Health Prevention Centres—like the one the Observatory runs in Limassol—keeps minds active and fights depression that often immobilises the elderly.
Transport and home care, whether health services or other support, must be guaranteed.
Cyprus currently ranks mid-table in the EU for healthy life years. Malta leads with 71 years, Italy records 69, Sweden 67, whilst Greece sits slightly below Cyprus.
“We’re at the critical juncture to start implementing policies aimed at healthy ageing. To catch it before it’s too late,” Antoniou said.
Cyprus is ageing steadily. Today roughly 17.7% of the population is 65 or older—nearly one in six residents, significantly higher than the previous decade. The elderly dependency ratio, comparing those 65 and above to the working-age population of 20-64, has climbed to 26-27%, meaning approximately one elderly person per four workers.
“The data tells us we have the gift of time. The bet now is to fill that time with quality, health and energy, reducing the gap between living and living well,” Antoniou said.
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