According to data from Statistics Estonia, life expectancy at birth in Estonia reached 79.8 years in 2025, lower than the European average of 81.5 years recorded in 2024.

Healthy life expectancy in Estonia meanwhile fell to 57.3 years last year, and the sharpest falls in healthy life expectancy were seen among younger people and non-Estonians.

The figures are for the whole country, and the most populous and wealthiest regions of Estonia posted life expectancy figures approaching the European average and that of neighboring Finland.

Ida-Viru County, which once lagged behind in life expectancy stats, is no longer the region with the lowest figures, according to Statistics Estonia.

Epp Remmelg, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said life expectancy in general has been showing a steady upward trend in Estonia, except during the Covid pandemic years.

"Last year, compared with 2024, life expectancy increased by 0.5 years for men and by 0.1 years for women," Remmelg said.

Remmelg added that since 1995, when life expectancy at birth stood at 67.6 years, the figure has risen by 12.2 years, reaching 79.8 years in 2025.

Compared with the figures for 2024, life expectancy last year rose by 0.5 years for men and 0.1 years for women. Remmelg noted that while life expectancy at birth stood at 67.6 years in 1995, by 2025 it had risen by 12.2 years, to 79.8.

On the other hand, the number of healthy life years fell by 1.4 years in 2025 compared with the preceding year.

Remmelg noted that life expectancy is calculated on the basis of mortality indicators for a given year. "Mortality has been stable in recent years, which is why life expectancy has continued to increase. Longer life expectancy reflects social development and is also closely linked to other factors, such as place of residence and level of education."

By region, life expectancy remains the highest — at over 80 years and therefore close to European averages — on Estonia's islands and in Tartu and Harju counties.

At the other end of the scale, Valga County dropped to the bottom of the life expectancy rankings with 77.3 years posted, followed by Lääne-Viru, Jõgeva and Ida-Viru counties. This meant that Ida-Viru County, previously at the bottom of the life expectancy ranking, has now risen four places.

Besides life expectancy at birth, remaining life expectancy can be calculated for other age groups. For example, today's 65-year-olds — the current pension-age population — are expected to live another 19.3 years on average: 21.4 years for women and 16.3 years for men. In coming years, retirement age will also depend on remaining life expectancy at this age.

Other factors affecting life expectancy include level of education, "which in turn influences health and life expectancy. For example, women with higher education have an average life expectancy of 86.1 years, while men with only basic education live on average 69.8 years," Remmelg noted.

Healthy life years declined

Although overall life expectancy continues to rise, healthy life expectancy at birth in Estonia fluctuates yearly. Compared with 2024, the average number of healthy life years fell by 1.4 years to 57.3. Men can expect 55.2 healthy years, while women live 4.1 years longer, at 59.3 years. Since 2024, healthy life years declined by one year and two months for women and by more than 1.5 years for men.

The decline in healthy life years has been greatest among people under 35 and non-Estonians, with no similar drop seen in older age groups, Statistics Estonia said.

A key factor in calculating healthy life years is people's self-assessment of their health. In recent years, fewer young and younger middle-aged people have rated their health as good or very good, while more report long-term illnesses.

"Like life expectancy, healthy life years are influenced by education level and place of residence. Year after year, it is clear that people living in cities remain healthy for several years longer than those living in rural areas. Last year, the difference was 2.8 years," Remmelg noted.

Again, education is a factor. Those with a higher education live an average of 13.8 healthy years longer than those with only basic education. Adding in gender differences to this shows that men with only basic education can expect fewer than 50 healthy years, while women with higher education can expect more than 64 healthy years — almost until retirement age.

While 65-year-old men are expected to live another 16.3 years and women another 21.4 years, the number of healthy years remaining for today's 65–69-year-olds is currently 6.6 years for men and 8.4 years for women, Statistics Estonia reported.

Meanwhile, for Estonia's nearest neighbors, life expectancy in Latvia (76.4 years) and Lithuania (77.5 years) stayed at a lower level than Estonia's, while in Finland, where life expectancy already stood at 76.7 years as far back as 1995, the figure has now increased to 82.2 years — a rise of 5.5 years.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!