In 2020, the Covid-19 epidemic hit the European continent hard, causing an increase in the number of deaths in the European Union (EU) and a drop in life expectancy, according to a study published Monday by INSEE. .
The number of deaths has increased by 11% in the EU and as a result, the increase in life expectancy, which has been going on for decades, has come to a halt.
Life expectancy fell in 2020 in almost all EU countries, explains the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.
On average in the EU, life expectancy at birth has dropped by almost a year for both women and men, notes the same source.
The decline is particularly marked in the countries most affected by the first two epidemic waves, such as Bulgaria, Belgium, Spain and Poland, where it is greater than 1.2 years for both sexes.
France is in an intermediate position with a decrease of 0.5 years for women and 0.6 years for men, it is specified.
In 2021, while life expectancy increases again in Western Europe, it continues to fall sharply in the East of the continent, explain the authors of the study.
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