In its latest report, the Directorate of Studies and Statistics of the Social Ministries (DREES) observed an increase in life expectancy “without disability” among people over 65 years of age.
- Disability-free life expectancy is the number of years we can expect to live without being limited in our daily activities by a disease.
- Between 2008 and 2021, “disability-free” life expectancy increased by two years and seven months for women and two years and eight months for men aged 65.
- In France, the “disability-free” life expectancy is above European averages.
We know: life expectancy continues to increase, but these additional years are not necessarily lived in good health. In a new reportthe Department of Studies and Statistics of the Social Ministries (Drees) has however noted an increase in life expectancy “without disability”.
“Disability-free” life expectancy: +0.8 years for women since 2020
Disability-free life expectancy characterizes the number of years we can expect to live without being limited in our daily activities. “It is established from exhaustive mortality data supplemented by a question asked of a sample of 17,000 households”can we read in the press release of the Dress.
Since 2008, disability-free life expectancy at age 65 has increased by two years and seven months for women and two years and eight months for men. But compared to the 2020 figures, it is a smaller increase with an increase of 8 and 9 months respectively.
Thus, in 2021, a 65-year-old woman can therefore expect to live another 12.6 years “without disability” and 18.8 years “without severe disability”. For men, these statistics are slightly lower: a 65-year-old man can expect to live 11.3 years “without disability” and 16.2 years “without severe disability”.
French life expectancy “without disability” above the European average
Within the European Union in 2020, France ranks 5th in disability-free life expectancy for women at age 65, one place above the European average (+1 year and 8 months), and ranked 10th for men (+8 months), also above the European average. “At birth, in 2020, men’s disability-free life expectancy is higher (+5 months) than the European Union average, which is 63.5 years. Women’s disability-free life expectancy at birth is also higher (+10 months) than the European average (64.5 years). In 2020, France is in 1st place in the European Union for the life expectancy of women at birth”the statement said.
But as the Dress recalled, “Changes from one year to the next must however be analyzed with caution, due to the declarative dimension of the indicator and the size of the sample of the Statistics on resources and living conditions survey ( SRCV) on which the indicators are based. This precaution is all the more sensitive for the last two years, because the health crisis may have disrupted both the collection of the SRCV survey and the interpretation of the questions by the people questioned. ” Among other things, in the data that could soon change the situation, we can mention the average retirement age, which is currently at 62.
