In 2022, life expectancy at birth in Belgium was 81.7 years for the total population. Women have a life expectancy at birth of 83.8 years and for men it is 79.5 years. The life expectancy at births for men and women together remained rather stable compared to 2021 (+13 days, or +0.04 years). This is what emerged from an analysis of the general mortality figures carried out by Statbel, the Belgian statistical office.

The gap between men and women is getting smaller

Life expectancy of men increased compared to 2021 (+111 days, or +0.3 years), while that of women decreased (-92 days, or -0.25 years).

Compared to 2021, we register more deaths in 2022. This increase is particularly noticeable among women (+7.1%) and people over 85 (+9.8%). The causes are most likely diverse ^[1]. The final results on causes of death will be studied to better understand the causes of the increased mortality during the year and in the various population groups.

The difference in life expectancy between men and women has been decreasing over time. In 2022, that difference was 4.2 years. In 1997, it was still 6.4 years. The gender gap in 2022 is the smallest since the beginning of the series in 1997.

Life expectancy in Brussels increases to pre-COVID-19 level

Life expectancy at birth is still the highest in the Flemish Region in 2022 at 82.6 years. In the Brussels-Capital Region, life expectancy was 81.6 years and in the Walloon Region 80 years.

In Flanders, life expectancy at birth stagnates at 82.6 years in 2022 (-23 days, or -0.06 years compared to 2021) . In Brussels, life expectancy at birth has seen the strongest increase of all regions this year with 0.3 years, or 112 days. This brings life expectancy back to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels (2019: 81.6 years). In Wallonia, life expectancy at birth registered a limited increase from 79.9 years in 2021 to 80 years in 2022 (+53 days, or +0.14 years), but remains, as in 2021, lower than in 2019 (80.3 years).

Highest life expectancy in province of Flemish Brabant, lowest in province of Hainaut

In the provinces, life expectancy at birth is calculated over a period of 3 years. In other words, life tables for the provinces were calculated for the period 2020-2022. Note that this period contains two COVID years, of which certainly 2020 and to a lesser extent 2021 were characterised by exceptional mortality conditions. As the pandemic winds down, mortality conditions are likely to change. Therefore, it is important to interpret this life expectancy at birth in the provinces with caution.

Life expectancy at birth in the different provinces:

• In six of the ten Belgian provinces, life expectancy at birth in the period 2020-2022 is above 82 years.
• The province with the highest life expectancy is Flemish Brabant (82.9 years), followed by Walloon Brabant (82.5 years) and Limburg (82.5 years).
• Then come Antwerp (82.3 years), West Flanders (82.3 years) and East Flanders (82.2 years).
• Four provinces in Wallonia are below the national average of 81.4 years for the period 2020-2022: Luxembourg (80.1 years), Namur (79.8 years), Liège (79.5 years) and Hainaut (78.7 years).

Methodological note

The life tables (as instantaneous tables) calculated by Statbel indicate how a generation would die out if, throughout its existence, it were exposed to the same mortality conditions per age as in the specified year. In the event of a temporary health crisis with an effect on mortality, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the life table has major limitations. It is very likely, as the pandemic continues to wind down, that the mortality conditions in the near future will be very different from those observed in the course of 2020 and, to a lesser extent, 2021. The life expectancy should therefore be interpreted with caution.

^[1] Analysis of the excess mortality in 2022 | sciensano.be (FR)