Bulgarians Among Europe’s Healthiest: Third in Healthy Life Expectancy

According to new Eurostat data, Bulgaria ranks among the top three European countries for life expectancy in good health. Among 30 countries examined, Bulgarians live an average of 68.6 years in good health, placing the country third behind Malta and Italy in this key indicator.

Bulgarian women are particularly high in the ranking. In 2023, they reached an average of 71 years of life in good health, second only to women in Malta, who surpassed them by just one month. At the opposite end of the scale are Switzerland, Denmark, and Latvia, where women remain in good health only until about 54 to 55 years of age.

Bulgarian men also hold a strong position. They are fifth in the European ranking, with an average of 66.3 years lived in good health. Leading the men’s chart are Malta (71.7 years), followed by Italy, Sweden, and Norway. The lowest figures for men were observed in Slovakia, Estonia, and Denmark, where men live in good health for an average of 56.8, 56.5, and 51.2 years, respectively.

Across the European Union, the average healthy life expectancy in 2023 was 63.1 years. This figure was slightly higher for women (63.3 years) than for men (62.8 years). Despite women having a longer total life expectancy - 84 years compared to 78.7 years for men - they spend a smaller percentage of those years in good health: 75% for women versus 80% for men.

Eurostat also noted that in just nine EU countries, men tend to outlive women in good health.