Life Expectancy Increases
Published: 14.09.2012 11:19
Photo: Postimees/Scanpix
In 2011, the average life expectancy increased by roughly six months, to 76.3 years, compared with the previous year.
Life expectancy at birth was nine years and 11 months longer for women (81.1 years) than for men (71.2 years), according to Statistics Estonia.
Although the downward trend of accident-related deaths of recent years took a regressive upward swing in 2011, life expectancy increased, mainly as a factor of a decline in deaths from cardiovascular diseases.
Life expectancy at birth increased by four months, to 77.4 years, for ethnic Estonians and by 12 months, to 74.7 years, for members of other ethnic groups.
Although life expectancy is increasing in Estonia, it is still below the European average. In 2010, it ranked 21st out of the 27 EU member states.
Estonia's rate is comparable to that of Poland and Slovakia. It is four years and five months below that of Finland's and two years and one month above Latvia's.