Health expectancy; since 1981
| Sex | Age (at December 31) | Type of figure | Periods | Life expectancy (years) | Life expectancy in perceived good health (years) | Life exp. without physical limitations LE without moderate, severe limitations (years) | Life expectancy without GALI-limitations Life expectancy without GALI-limitations (years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 0 year | Percentage/average | 1981 | 72.71 | 59.9 | . | . |
| Male | 0 year | Percentage/average | 1991 | 74.05 | 59.4 | 66.9 | . |
| Male | 0 year | Percentage/average | 2001 | 75.80 | 61.8 | 68.7 | . |
| Male | 0 year | Percentage/average | 2011 | 79.18 | 63.7 | 71.1 | . |
| Male | 0 year | Percentage/average | 2021 | 79.68 | 65.4 | 73.4 | 59.8 |
| Male | 0 year | Percentage/average | 2025 | 80.67 | 64.1 | 72.9 | 59.1 |
| Male | 65 years | Percentage/average | 1981 | 14.33 | 9.2 | . | . |
| Male | 65 years | Percentage/average | 1991 | 14.89 | 8.4 | 10.5 | . |
| Male | 65 years | Percentage/average | 2001 | 15.90 | 9.2 | 10.9 | . |
| Male | 65 years | Percentage/average | 2011 | 18.30 | 10.9 | 13.9 | . |
| Male | 65 years | Percentage/average | 2021 | 18.57 | 12.6 | 14.8 | 9.4 |
| Male | 65 years | Percentage/average | 2025 | 19.46 | 12.7 | 15.3 | 9.4 |
| Female | 0 year | Percentage/average | 1981 | 79.32 | 62.4 | . | . |
| Female | 0 year | Percentage/average | 1991 | 80.15 | 61.9 | 65.0 | . |
| Female | 0 year | Percentage/average | 2001 | 80.71 | 61.6 | 68.5 | . |
| Female | 0 year | Percentage/average | 2011 | 82.85 | 63.3 | 70.0 | . |
| Female | 0 year | Percentage/average | 2021 | 82.99 | 65.1 | 72.4 | 57.6 |
| Female | 0 year | Percentage/average | 2025 | 83.46 | 62.0 | 71.6 | 55.1 |
| Female | 65 years | Percentage/average | 1981 | 18.86 | 10.8 | . | . |
| Female | 65 years | Percentage/average | 1991 | 19.39 | 10.7 | 9.1 | . |
| Female | 65 years | Percentage/average | 2001 | 19.72 | 10.4 | 10.6 | . |
| Female | 65 years | Percentage/average | 2011 | 21.30 | 11.3 | 13.4 | . |
| Female | 65 years | Percentage/average | 2021 | 21.16 | 13.4 | 14.6 | 9.7 |
| Female | 65 years | Percentage/average | 2025 | 21.42 | 12.5 | 14.6 | 8.6 |
| Source: CBS. | |||||||
Table explanation
This table represents five variants of health expectancies:
-life expectancy in perceived good health.
-life expectancy without physical limitations.
-life expectancy without chronic morbidity (until 2024)
-without psychological complaints (until 2023)
-life expectancy without GALI-limitations
In addition, figures of 'normal' life expectancy are included, so the figures of health expectancy can be related to them.
In the table, the data on health expectancy can be split into the following characteristics:
-sex (starting from the data of 2018, the category ‘total, men + women’ is added).
-age.
Data available from: 1981
Status of the figures:
The figures in this table are definitive.
Changes as of July 9th, 2026:
The 2025 figures have been added.
When will new figures be published?
The figures for 2026 will be published in the third quarter of 2027.
Description topics
- Life expectancy
- The number of years someone of a certain age is expected to live,
according to a life table, assuming that the mortality chances will not change in the future. - Life expectancy in perceived good health
- The number of years a person of a certain age can (still) expect to live in perceived good health.
The following survey question is used to calculate the life expectancy in perceived good health:
How is your health in general?
People answering 'good' or 'very good' are considered healthy.
The data of the years 1981 and 1982 have been repaired. More information about this repair can be found in the table explanation. - Life exp. without physical limitations
- The number of years a person of a certain age can (still) expect to live without physical limitations.
To calculate this life expectancy, physical limitations in the domains of hearing, seeing and moving are being used. The following questions are used to calculate the life expectancy without physical limitations:
-Can you follow a conversation in a group of 3 or more persons (using hearing aid if needed)?
-Can you have a conversation with one other person (using hearing aid if needed)?
-Can you see newspaper print (using glasses or lenses if needed)?
-Can you recognize someone's face from a distance of 4 metres (using glasses or lenses if needed)?
-Can you carry an object of 5 kilo's (e.g. a filled shopping bag) over a distance of 10 metres?
-Can you, when you stand, lean down and pick something of the floor?
-Can you walk for 400 meters without rest (using a walking stick if needed)?
These questions have the following answer categories:
-yes, without difficulty
-yes, with some difficulty
-yes, with a lot of difficulty
-no, I can not do that
For the calculation of the life expectancy without severe physical limitations a respondent is considered to be physical limited when at least 1 question is answered with 'no, I can not do that'.
For the calculation of the life expectancy without moderate or severe physical limitations a respondent is considered to be physical limited when at least 1 question is answered with 'no, I can not do that' or 'yes, with a lot of difficulty'.
For the calculation of the life expectancy without light, moderate or severe physical limitations a respondent is considered to be physical limited when at least 1 question is answered with 'no, I can not do that', 'yes, with a lot of difficulty' or 'yes, with some difficulty.
The data of the years 1983 through 1988 have been repaired. More information about this repair can be found in the table explanation.
The questions about physical limitations are only asked to people aged 12 and older. In the calculation of the life expectancy without physical limitations is therefore assumed that these limitations do not occur to people younger than 12.- LE without moderate, severe limitations
- Life expectancy without GALI-limitations
- GALI means Global Activity Limitations Indicator. The life expectancy without GALI-limitations is the variant of health expectancy that Eurostat defines as ‘Healthy Life Years’. That official European figure on Healthy Life Years is based on data from the European Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) and can therefore differ slightly from the figures presented in this table. The figures in this table are based on the Health Survey.
To calculate the life expectancy without GALI-limitations the answers on the following questions of the Health Survey 2014 are used:
-To what extent are you (is your child), due to problems with your (his or her) health, limited in activities people usually do?
-Does this limitation already last for at least half a year?
From 2014 onwards the following survey question is used:
-Since 6 months or longer, to what extent are you (is your child), due to problems with your (his or her) health, limited in activities people (children) usually do?
Answer categories:
-Severely limited
-Limited, but not severely
-Not limited at all.
For the calculation of the life expectancy without GALI-limitations a respondent is considered to be limited when the question is answered with 'severely limited' or ‘limited, but not severely’.
For the calculation of the life expectancy without severe GALI-limitations a respondent is considered to be limited when the question is answered with 'severely limited'.
The questions on GALI-limitations are only asked to persons of 2 years or older. In the calculation of the life expectancy without GALI-limitations, the assumption is made that these limitations do not occur amongst children aged 0 and 1 year.- Life expectancy without GALI-limitations