Belgian Life Expectancy Hits 82.5 Years, Gender Gap Narrows

Life expectancy in Belgium reached 82.5 years in 2025, an increase of 54 days from the previous year, according to new data published by Statbel, the Belgian statistical office. The figures reveal a notable acceleration in male longevity, narrowing the gender gap to its smallest level in three decades.

Gender Gap Shrinks Below Four Years for the First Time

The gap between male and female life expectancy fell to 3.87 years in 2025, down from 4.14 years in 2024 and a dramatic reduction from 6.67 years in 1996, as VRT NWS reported. This marks the first time the gap has dropped below four years since Statbel began tracking the data consistently.

Men’s life expectancy rose by 101 days to 80.5 years, while women’s increased by just 3 days to 84.4 years. “Strikingly, men in particular are making a significant catch-up,” the VRT NWS article noted, citing the sharp disparity in annual gains. The Statbel press release confirmed this trend, stating that men’s life expectancy rose by 0.28 years compared to just 0.01 years for women.

This convergence reflects a broader pattern seen across developed nations. Men have historically had lower life expectancy due to higher rates of smoking, alcohol consumption, occupational hazards, and cardiovascular disease. As these behavioral and occupational patterns converge between genders, and as medical advances benefit both sexes, the gap has been steadily closing.

Regional Disparities Persist

Despite the overall positive trend, significant regional differences remain. The Flemish Region recorded the highest life expectancy at 83.3 years (81.6 for men, 85.0 for women), followed by the Brussels-Capital Region at 82.3 years (79.9 for men, 84.6 for women). The Walloon Region lagged behind at 81.0 years (78.7 for men, 83.2 for women), according to the Statbel data.

The gender gap itself varies markedly by region. In Flanders, the gap stands at 3.4 years — the narrowest of the three regions. Brussels records a gap of 4.7 years, while Wallonia sits at 4.5 years. This suggests that the factors driving convergence are not uniform across the country.

At the provincial level, the disparities are even starker. Flemish Brabant boasts the highest life expectancy in the country at 83.9 years, while Hainaut records the lowest at 80.1 years — a difference of nearly four years between the two provinces. This intra-country variation highlights the role of local socioeconomic conditions, lifestyle factors, and healthcare access in determining health outcomes.

Long-Term Recovery from COVID-19

Belgium’s life expectancy has now fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a drop of approximately one year in 2020 to 80.8 years. Data from Sciensano shows that life expectancy surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2023 and has continued climbing. The 2023 milestone was particularly significant as male life expectancy exceeded 80 years for the first time.

Over the longer term, the upward trajectory is clear. Between 2000 and 2024, men’s life expectancy rose by 5.7 years while women’s increased by 3.5 years, a convergence that experts attribute to declining smoking rates among men, improvements in occupational safety, and better cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment.

Socioeconomic Divide Remains a Challenge

While the gender gap is narrowing, the socioeconomic divide in life expectancy remains wide. Research from UCLouvain cited by Sciensano shows a gap of up to 8.9 years between the highest and lowest socioeconomic groups for men, and 6.0 years for women, based on 2019 data. The pandemic temporarily widened this gap, as lower socioeconomic groups experienced greater mortality impacts.

What’s Driving the Change?

The sharper increase in male life expectancy reflects several converging factors. Men started from a lower baseline, giving them more room for improvement. Declining smoking rates — historically higher among men — have reduced lung cancer and cardiovascular mortality. Improvements in occupational safety in traditionally male-dominated industries have also contributed, alongside advances in medical treatments that benefit both sexes but have a proportionally larger impact on men.

Belgium’s well-developed healthcare system, which consistently ranks among the best in Europe, provides the foundation for these gains. The country’s health infrastructure has enabled strong recovery from pandemic disruptions and sustained progress in preventive care and treatment outcomes.

Outlook

Belgium’s life expectancy now sits roughly in line with the EU-14 average, according to the WHO European Observatory. While the country performs well by global standards, it still trails top performers such as Switzerland, Spain, and Japan.

The key question for policymakers is whether the narrowing gender gap will continue or plateau. The pace of convergence has been remarkable — from 6.67 years in 1996 to 3.87 years in 2025 — but further narrowing may prove more challenging as the most easily addressable risk factors are already being tackled.

Regional inequality presents an equally pressing challenge. The nearly four-year gap between Flemish Brabant and Hainaut underscores the need for targeted public health investments in Wallonia and Brussels. Socioeconomic disparities, with a gap of up to 8.9 years between the highest and lowest income groups for men, remain a stubborn obstacle to further progress.

With an aging population and potential future health crises on the horizon, sustaining this positive trajectory will require continued investment in healthcare infrastructure, preventive medicine, and public health measures across all regions of the country.