Life Expectancy in Europe: A Rollercoaster Ride

Life expectancy in Europe has seen some interesting ups and downs over the past few decades. A recent study explored these trends, diving deep into what’s been impacting how long we live. Here’s a breakdown of their findings in plain English:

The Slowdown Before COVID-19:

• From 1990 to 2011, life expectancy was steadily improving across Europe, adding an average of about 0.23 years annually.
• This progress slowed down after 2011, even before the pandemic hit. Most countries saw smaller gains, with England experiencing a particularly sharp decline in improvement.
• Norway was the exception, actually increasing its rate of life expectancy improvement during this period.

The Impact of the Pandemic (2019-2021):

• The pandemic, unfortunately, reversed the overall trend. Most countries saw a decrease in life expectancy, averaging a loss of about 0.18 years annually.
• A few countries—Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark—managed to either maintain or even slightly improve life expectancy. Belgium remained stable.

What’s Driving These Changes?

• 1990-2011 (The Good Times): Reduced deaths from cardiovascular diseases (like heart attacks and strokes) and cancers were the biggest contributors to increased life expectancy.
• 2011-2019 (The Slowdown): Slowing progress against cardiovascular diseases played a major role in the reduced life expectancy improvements.
• 2019-2021 (The Pandemic): Respiratory infections and other COVID-19 related deaths were the main drivers of decreased life expectancy.

Risk Factors and Their Role:

• Several risk factors contribute to cardiovascular diseases and cancers, including high blood pressure, unhealthy diets, smoking, high cholesterol, obesity, workplace hazards, excessive alcohol consumption, and lack of exercise.
• While obesity rates have generally increased across Europe since 1990, thankfully, smoking rates have gone down. The specific mix of these risk factors varies from country to country.

The Secret to Success (and Resilience):

The countries that best weathered the storm after 2011 (Norway, Iceland, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden) seemed to do so by:

• Continuing to make progress against cardiovascular diseases and cancers.
• Effectively reducing exposure to major risk factors, likely through government policies.

These countries’ ability to maintain or even improve life expectancy during the pandemic suggests they were better prepared for such a health crisis.

The Takeaway:

This study highlights the importance of public health policies in not only improving how long we live but also in building resilience to future health threats. Focusing on reducing risk factors like unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity, addressing the commercial drivers of poor health (like marketing of unhealthy products), and ensuring access to affordable healthcare are crucial steps. Investing in public health is an investment in a healthier, more resilient future.

(Funded by the Gates Foundation)