The regions, which cover approximately half of Bulgaria's territory, hold the record in the EU for early age mortality rate. Northwestern, Southwestern and North Central regions have the lowest life expectancy in the EU, according to Eurostat data for 2016, BNR reported.
The average life expectancy in the community was 81 years, and in our country - 74.9 years, which again puts us at the bottom of the chart in the EU. The highest percentage of aging population aged over 65 is registered in the regions of Vidin and Gabrovo. The smallest number of elderly people is in Sofia with 17 percent.
For the period 1990-2016, the number of pensioners has increased and the percentage of newborn babies has decreased. The inhabitants of Italy and Spain live the longest.
Top-5 regions of the EU with the shortest life expectancy are the three Bulgarian regions, one Romanian and one Hungarian region, according to Eurostat data.
There is no EU country in which men live on average longer than women, with the difference being mostly in the order of 3-5 years in favor of women, according to European statistics.