Life expectancy in Ireland is above the EU average with newborn babies now estimated to live 1.3 years longer than their continental counterparts.
Figures published by the European Commission show infants born here in 2018 – the latest year for which comparative data is available – can expect to live to 82.3 years compared to the EU average of 81 years.
It is the bloc’s joint seventh highest life expectancy age which is headed by Spain with 83.5 years.
Bulgaria, where citizens are expected to live to just 75 years on average, has the lowest expectancy.
The figures show life expectancy of Irish babies has increased steadily in recent decades from 74.8 years in 1990 to 76.6 years in 2000 and 80.8 years in 2010 as a result of improvements in healthcare and lifestyle choices.
On average women in the EU’s 27 member states are expected to live 5.5 years longer than men.
However, the gender gap in Ireland is just 3.6 years with females expected to live to 84.1 years on average compared to 80.5 years for males.
The highest female life span levels in the EU are found in regions of Spain and France.
Women in Madrid have the highest of all EU citizens with an average of 88.1 years.
The highest life expectancy for men in the EU are found in parts of northern and central Italy with the greatest longevity in the province of Trento where males will live to 82.7 years on average.
The figures also reveal Irish reach the age of 65 can expect to live another 20.4 years – the 7th highest rate within the EU and just above the EU average of 20 years.
Separate figures from the European Commission show the death rate from coronary heart diseases in Ireland is 11% above the EU average.
The statistics show there are 1,330 deaths per million inhabitants annually in Ireland from heart disease compared to the EU average of 1,194 death per million inhabitants.
Across the EU, Lithuania has the highest death rate from heart disease at 5,362 cases per million.
At the other end of the scale, France had the lowest at just 466 deaths per million.
Experts also said men are about twice as likely to die from heart disease as women.
