VALLETTA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Life expectancy in Malta is high and the population spend on average 90 percent of their lifespan in good health, longer than in any other European Union (EU) country.
According to a report issued by the State of Health in the EU on Thursday, life expectancy at birth in Malta was 81.9 years in 2015, up from 78.4 years in 2000 and above the EU average of 80.6 years.
Life expectancy gains were mainly the result of a reduction of premature deaths from cardiovascular diseases, though these remain the leading cause of death for both men and women.
Not only do Maltese men and women live longer, they also enjoy close to 90 percent of their lifespan in good health.
Malta's number of healthy life years at birth was 72.6 years for men and 74.6 years for women in 2015, the highest rate in the EU for women and the second highest rate for men.
Similarly, Maltese men and women aged 65 and over can expect to live 13.4 years and 14.0 years respectively of their remaining life free of disability, the second highest among EU countries.
Despite these good results, the report indicated that the increase of risk factors such as obesity and alcohol consumption in recent years may well have a negative impact on healthy life expectancy in the future in Malta.
