Home > Statistics > Deaths > 2014 > Annual Review > Average life expectancy at birth was 78.2 years for boys and 83.9 years for girls in 2014

Published: 23 October 2015

Average life expectancy at birth was 78.2 years for boys and 83.9 years for girls in 2014

Corrected on 27 October 2016. The corrected number is indicated in red.

According to Statistics Finland's statistics on deaths, the life expectancy at birth was 78.2 years for boys and 83.9 years for girls last year. Compared with 2013, the life expectancy of boys grew by 0.3 years and that of girls by 0.1 years. Life expectancy is an age-standardised indicator that describes the level of mortality observed during the calculation period.

Life expectancy of newborns by gender in 1971 to 2014

Men were catching up with women in life expectancy

The difference between genders in life expectancy, 5.7 years, has narrowed in recent decades. During the last 30 years, the life expectancy of new-born boys has lengthened by 7.7 years and by 5.1 years for girls. The difference between genders in life expectancy was last this small in the 1930s. The difference between genders was largest in life expectancy in the late 1970s when it was nine years.

The life expectancy of men aged 65 was 18.0 years and that of women aged 65 was 21.5 years in 2014. During the last 30 years, the life expectancy of men aged 65 has lengthened by 4.6 years and for women aged 65 by 3.9 years.

Average life expectancy of men and women aged 65 in 1971 to 2014

Median age at death 76.5 years for men and 85.0 years for women

In 2014, the median age at death for men was 76.5 and for women 85.0 years. In 1980, the corresponding median age at death was 68.2 years for men and 75.4 years for women.

The median age at death probably best describes the age distribution of deaths. The median age at death shows at what age the middlemost dead person dies if persons who have died were placed in order of age. So one-half of all persons that died either died at a younger or older age than the median age at death.

Life expectancy for boys born in Finland the 16th longest among EU 28 countries

Based on Eurostat's 2013 statistics, in the EU 28 countries the life expectancy of boys was longest in Italy, 80.3 years, in Spain, 80.2 years and in Sweden, 80.2 years. The life expectancy of boys was shortest in Lithuania, 68.5 years and in Latvia, 69.3 years. The life expectancy for boys born in Finland was only the 16th longest among EU 28 countries.

In a similar examination, the life expectancy of girls was longest in Spain, 86.1 years, and in France, 85.6 years. The shortest life expectancy was found in Bulgaria, 78.6 years, and in Romania, 78.7 years. Finnish girls fared clearly better than Finnish boys in the comparison, as the life expectancy of Finnish girls was, based on Eurostat's 2013 statistics, the fifth longest among the EU 28 countries.

According to Eurostat's statistics, the life expectancy of Finnish girls was the longest among Nordic countries in 2013, while the life expectancy of Finnish boys was the shortest in the Nordic countries.

Source: Population and Cause of Death Statistics. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Markus Rapo 029 551 3238

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Life expectancy of newborns and persons aged 65 by gender in 1971 to 2014 (23.10.2015)

Figures

• Appendix figure 1. Average life expectancy at birth in EU 28 countries in 2013, boys (23.10.2015)
• Appendix figure 2. Average life expectancy at birth in EU 28 countries in 2013, girls (23.10.2015)

Quality descriptions

• Quality description, deaths 2014 (23.10.2015)

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Updated 23.10.2015