Belgium: Life expectancy at birth, male (years)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Belgium's life expectancy at birth, male (years) fell 0.1 on 2023 (from 80.4 to 80.3).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.25 and a typical year strayed about 0.39 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.9 in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.3 in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.15 a year. A straight line explains 55% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Belgium had the 31st highest value of the 217 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Belgium in the 2024 ranking

• Netherlands — 28th of 217: 80.6
• Denmark — 29th of 217: 80.4
• New Zealand — 30th of 217: 80.4
• France — 32nd of 217: 80.2
• Canada — 33rd of 217: 80.03
• Maldives — 34th of 217: 79.95

What this measures

Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.

Limitations: Annual data series from United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects are interpolated data from 5-year period data. Therefore they may not reflect real events as much as observed data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 65 values

Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in nearby economies

• Albania — 77.92 (2024)
• Andorra — 82.26 (2024)
• Armenia — 75.1 (2024)
• Austria — 79.8 (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 71.71 (2024)
• Belarus — 69.74 (2024)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 74.65 (2024)
• Bulgaria — 72.2 (2024)
• Channel Islands — 79.1 (2024)
• Croatia — 76.1 (2024)
• Cyprus

More health data for Belgium

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 4.52% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 4.86% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 916,596 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 15.15% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 958,723 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 16.27% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 1.88 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 15.7% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 5.1% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Belgium's life expectancy at birth, male (years)?

80.3 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 20.25% from 66.78 in 1960 (0.29% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 80.4 in 2023 and the lowest 66.78 in 1960.

How does Belgium rank?

31st highest of 217 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in life expectancy at birth, male (years) unusual for Belgium?

In 2024, Belgium's life expectancy at birth, male (years) fell 0.1 on 2023 (from 80.4 to 80.3). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.25 and a typical year strayed about 0.39 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SP.DYN.LE00.MA.IN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); Demographic Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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