Why do Hungarians die early?

Recent statistics show that the elderly constitute a smaller fraction of the population in Hungary than the EU average. Yet, the lifespan of Hungarians is shorter than what is typical of other nations in the EU. Read on for more details and some possible explanations.

Complications do not end with the defeat of the coronavirus – at least this is what the new Eurostat statistics imply, writes Növekedés.hu. The members of the EU will also have to face issues arising from negative demographic processes to varying degrees. The ageing population and the reduced willingness to bear children are among the most significant factors engendering such changes. The high percentage of the elderly in the population necessitates increased government expenditure. Additionally, the standard of living can only be improved by boosting productivity.

The recent data provided by Eurostat suggest growth in the number of people over the age of 65 in certain countries of the EU. The increase is estimated to be around 3%, and the average proportion of people aged 65 or over in each nation is approximately 20.6%.

The size of this age group is the largest in Italy in proportion to its population (23.2%), whereas Hungary is below the EU average, with 19.9%.

Italy is followed by Greece, Finland, Portugal, and Germany, with about 22% of their populations being 65 or older.

It should be noted, however, that part of the reason for the smaller percentage of the examined generations in Hungary might be the low life expectancy of Hungarians.

While the French and the Italian live for 83 years on average, Hungarian people generally tend to live for 76 years.

It will be interesting to see how the data may change in the aftermath of the pandemic.

In a previous article exploring the topic, we have mentioned some possible reasons why Hungarians do not live long lives. One of the gravest problems was discovered to be the unhealthy lifestyle that a considerable portion of people leads, more specifically, excessive drinking and smoking. You can read more about the potential causes for the shorter lifespans of Hungarians and the differences in the data among the counties in Hungary here. Lower income may also negatively affect the expected length of life, more about this here.

Read alsoFrench, Spanish regions record longest life expectancy in EU

Source: Növekedés.hu