site.btaBulgarians' Life Expectancy at Birth Stands at 74.7 Years

Bulgarians' Life Expectancy at Birth Stands at 74.7 Years

Sofia, May 12 (BTA) - The life expectancy at birth of Bulgaria's population, calculated for the period 2014 - 2016, stands at 74.7 years, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) reported on Friday. It has increased by 0.2 years, compared to the previous period (2013 - 2015).

Life expectancy at birth indicates a newborn's average expected life duration under the hypothesis for a constant intensity of the age-specific mortality observed for the respective year, the NSI recalled.

Bulgaria, Latvia (74.8) and Lithuania (74.6) are among the EU countries with the lowest life expectancy. Spain and Italy have the highest, with 83 and 82.7 years, respectively.

Different mortality rates among male and female, as well as among the urban and rural population, results in differences in the life expectancy at birth for these population categories.

Life expectancy at birth for the male population is 71.2 years, compared to 78.2 years for females, who live an average of seven years longer.

Between 2006 and 2016, the life expectancy at birth increased by 2.2 years for males and by 1.9 years for females.

The average life expectancy for the urban population stands at 75.5 years, which is 2.9 years higher than that for the rural population (72.6). It has increased since 2006 by 2.5 years for the urban population, compared to 1.1 years for the rural population.

Life expectancy at age 65 is 16.0 years. The respective values for males and females are 14.1 and 17. 6 years, respectively. Between 2006 and 2016, the average life expectancy at age 65 has increased by 1.3 years - 1.0 for males and 1.5 years for females.

The average life expectancy varies between regions - from 72.6 for the northwestern regions of Vidin and Montana, to 76.4 years for the southeastern region of Kurdzhali.
It is above the country's average in eight regions. Women live longer than men in all parts of the country, with the biggest difference observed in Montana (7.9 years), and the smallest in Sofia and Shoumen (6.2 years).