In 2023, life expectancy at birth in Belgium was 82.3 years for the total population. Life expectancy at birth is 84.3 years for women and 80.2 years for men.

The life expectancy at birth for men and women together has slightly increased compared to 2022 (+215 days, or +0.59 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 has increased for both men and women compared to 2022, by 0.63 years (230 days) and 0.52 years (190 days), respectively.

The difference in life expectancy between men and women has been decreasing over time. In 2023, that difference was 4.12 years. In 1997, it was still 6.42 years. The gender gap in 2023 is the smallest since the beginning of the series in 1997.

In every region, life expectancy rises above pre-COVID-19 values

Life expectancy at birth is still the highest in the Flemish Region in 2023 at 83.2 years. It was 82.2 years in the Brussels-Capital Region and 80.6 years in the Walloon Region.

Life expectancy at birth increased in every region: the increase was the sharpest in Wallonia (+0.62 years or 226 days), closely followed by Brussels (+0.60 years or 219 days) and Flanders recorded a slightly smaller increase (+0.55 years or 201 days). Life expectancy in 2023 in each region is therefore slightly higher than the level observed just before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, when comparing life expectancy at birth in 2023 with that of 2019, a slight increase is seen in Wallonia (0.36 years or 131 days), Flanders (0.47 years or 172 days) and Brussels (0.59 years or 215 days).

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 2021-2023. Note that this period contains one coronavirus year, namely 2021. This year was marked by slightly more deaths due to the pandemic, although the effect was a lot less than in the first coronavirus year 2020. As the pandemic dies out, 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 2021-2023 is above 82 years.
• The province with the highest life expectancy is Flemish Brabant (83.4 years), followed by Walloon Brabant (82.9 years).
• Next come the other Flemish provinces: Limburg (82.8), Antwerp (82.8), West Flanders (82.7) and East Flanders (82.5).
• The four remaining Walloon provinces have a lower life expectancy than the Belgian one for the 2021-2023 period: Luxembourg (80.3 years), Namur (80.3 years) and Liège (80.2 years). The province of Hainaut (79.3 years) lags behind and is the only province with a life expectancy at birth still lower than 80 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. Life expectancies in general and especially those based on the three-year mortality tables with reference period 2021-2023 should therefore be interpreted with caution.