Belgium has recorded an increase in its average life expectancy, to 82.5 years as of 2025, according to Statbel, Belgium’s national statistics office.
This is an increase of 54 days compared to 2024, the data showed.
Men and women
Women continue to have a higher life expectancy, at 84.4 years, while men have a life expectancy of 80.5 years.
However, male life expectancy increased by 0.28 years, or 101 days, in 2025, compared to the previous year, while female life expectancy rose by just 0.01 years, or three days.
‘As a result, the gap in life expectancy between men and women continues to narrow,’ Statbel noted. ‘In 1997, this gap stood at 6.42 years. In 2025, the difference was reduced to 3.87 years, down from 4.14 years in 2024.’
Regional differences
On a regional basis, Flanders continues to record the highest life expectancy of the country’s three regions, and also has the smallest difference between male and female life expectancy, at 3.4 years. The gender gap is wider in Wallonia (4.5 years) and Brussels (4.7 years).
At a provincial level, Flemish Brabant recorded the highest life expectancy at 83.9 years, while Hainaut had the lowest at 80.1 years, ‘representing a difference of almost four years between the two provinces’, as Statbel noted. Read more here.
Evolution of Life Expectancy at Birth in Belgium (1996–2025)
| Category | 1996 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 77.23 | 77.79 | 79.05 | 80.05 | 80.90 | 80.79 | 81.69 | 82.28 | 82.35 | 82.50 |
| Men | 73.86 | 74.58 | 76.14 | 77.36 | 78.55 | 78.52 | 79.55 | 80.18 | 80.26 | 80.53 |
| Women | 80.53 | 80.92 | 81.86 | 82.64 | 83.16 | 83.05 | 83.78 | 84.30 | 84.40 | 84.40 |
| Difference between women’s and men’s life expectancy (years) | +6.67 | +6.34 | +5.72 | +5.28 | +4.61 | +4.53 | +4.23 | +4.12 | +4.14 | +3.87 |
According to the annual life tables; age in completed years. Calculations are based on National Register figures.
