Life expectancy on the rise as health-care system tackles diseases
A man in Flanders can now expect to live to almost 80 on average, an increase of more than two years over the past decade and catching up with the female average of 82.5
Healthier lifestyle
The life expectancy of men in Flanders is increasing more quickly, meaning they are catching up with women. In 2004, a man in Flanders had at birth a life expectancy of 77.2 years, which increased in 2014 to 79.8 years. For women, it increased from 82.5 years in 2004 to 84.3 years in 2014.
“This shows that more people have a healthy lifestyle and that our health-care system is successfully battling a number of diseases,” Vandeurzen told VRT.
While cardiovascular diseases and cancer remain the most important causes of death overall, the risk of dying from them at a younger ago is decreasing. For people aged between 45 and 75, lung and breast cancer are the most common causes of death. To further battle lung cancer, Vandeurzen emphasised that initiatives will be taken to discourage people from smoking and to help smokers to quit.
The number of suicides in Flanders remains high, with 1,066 people having killed themselves in 2014. But there has been a significant decrease, especially among men. Between 2000 and 2014, the number of suicides decreased by about 17% among men and by about 4% among women.
