According to the EU statistical service, life expectancy decreased by 0.9 years from 2019 to 2020, to 80.4, and fell again in 2021 by 0.3 years, to 80.1 years.

Eurostat points out that the cause of these consecutive setbacks is due to the sudden rise in mortality caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The recorded drop did not, however, reverse the upward trend in life expectancy: Since 2002, the first year in which data are available for all 27 Member States, the indicator has risen by 2.5 years, from 77.6 to 80.1.

Among Member States, the highest life expectancies at birth in 2021 were recorded in Spain (83.3 years), Sweden (83.1 years), Luxembourg and Italy (82.7 years each), while Bulgaria (71.4), Romania (72.8) and Latvia (73.1 years) were the countries at the opposite extreme.

In Portugal, life expectancy in 2021 was 81.5 years, compared to 81.1 in 2020 and 81.9 in 2019.