The most recent data from Eurostat, released on Thursday, indicates that in 2022, life expectancy at birth within the European Union is on an upward trajectory compared to the years preceding the pandemic. Nonetheless, it still falls short of the levels observed in 2019.

According to Eurostat's data released on Thursday, the average life expectancy for children born in the EU in 2022 is projected to be 80.6 years. This marks a slight increase compared to the previous years - 80.1 years in 2021 and 80.4 years in 2020.

However, Bulgaria finds itself at the bottom of this list, with children born in the country expected to live only 74.2 years on average. The situation is similarly challenging in Latvia (74.5 years) and Romania (75.1 years), placing these countries at the forefront of the struggle for longer life expectancy.

Delving deeper into Bulgaria's predicament, Eurostat identifies three regions within the country with the lowest life expectancy at birth among all EU regions. The North-Western region leads this somber ranking with an average life expectancy of 72.3 years, followed closely by the North-Central region (73.2 years) and the South-Eastern region (73.7 years).

In contrast, Spain emerges as the EU Member State with the highest life expectancy at birth, boasting an impressive 83.2 years. Sweden and Luxembourg follow closely behind, with 83.1 years and 83 years, respectively.

Furthermore, Eurostat's analysis sheds light on the regional disparities within the EU. The Spanish region of Comunidad de Madrid reigns supreme with an astonishing life expectancy of 85.2 years, followed by Italy's Provincia autonoma di Trento (84.4 years) and France's Île-de-France (84.1 years).