Life expectancy at birth in Belgium last year was 82.5 years, 54 days higher than the previous year, according to the latest data published Thursday by Statbel.
Girls born in 2025 have a life expectancy of 84.4 years , compared to 80.5 years for boys.
There's some good news for men, who generally have a shorter life expectancy than women. In Belgium, life expectancy for men is increasing, rising by 101 days in 2025 compared to just three for women.
"The difference in life expectancy between men and women continues to narrow. In 1997, it was 6.42 years. And, in 2025, the gap is only 3.87 years, compared to 4.14 years in 2024," notes Statbel.
The gap is not only gendered, but also geographical. Children born in Flanders have a longer life expectancy (over 83 years regardless of the province) than their counterparts in Brussels (82.3 years) and Wallonia (ranging from 80.10 years in Hainaut to 83.57 years in Walloon Brabant).
