People are living longer in better health in France, official new data shows
The expected healthspan of people in France has increased by almost two years since 2008
France ranks higher than the European average for the number of years a person can expect to live without being limited by a health problem
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People in France are living longer in better health according to DREES, the national health statistics agency.
The agency’s annual study indicates the number of years a person can expect to live without being limited by a health problem in their day-to-day life, also known as a person’s healthspan.
The latest report, published on January 22, shows that in 2024 the healthspan of people aged 65 was another 11.8 years for women and 10.5 years for men - increasing by one year and nine months since 2008.
Three factors may explain these improvements, according to DREES:
The delayed appearance of chronic age-related diseases, which limit people in their daily lives.
Improvements in the treatment of these diseases, which may only affect people temporarily or for shorter periods.
Better adaptation of people's surroundings, making health problems less limiting in daily life.
DREES also points out that a 65-year-old woman can expect to live another 18.5 years without “severe disability”, while a man can expect to live another 15.8 years.
Note that men tend to live shorter lives than women as they are more likely to suffer from chronic debilitating diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
Women are more likely to suffer from chronic, disabling illnesses, such as musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis, or anxiety and depression, explains the DREES report.
How does France compare to other countries?
The EU
The DREES indicator also allows for annual comparisons between EU countries.
The latest complete data set dates to 2023, where France ranked third among 27 countries for female healthspan expectancy - two years and five months higher than the European average.
For men, France ranked seventh - one year and four months above the European average.
England and Wales
Males aged 65 years in England could expect to spend another 10.1 years in good health between 2021 and 2023, and 11.2 years for females, according to a report published by the Office for National Statistics* in December 2024.
In Wales, data suggests men could live for another 9.8 years, and women another 10.4 years.
Why?
Reasons for longer healthspans in France could be due to the fact that it has the lowest obesity rate in the European region, with 9.7% of the adult population in France classed as obese.
The European region average is 22.6% and in the UK it is 26.8%, reported a 2025 World Health Organization study.
The study also showed that France has the lowest rate of ischaemic heart disease in the region with a mortality rate of 30.2 per 100,000 people compared to 33.6 in Spain, 43 in the UK, 60.3 in Germany.
It also has one of the lowest levels of out of pocket healthcare expenses in the European region.
*Note the potential for discrepancies between research methodologies.
