Disability-free life expectancy conceals significant territorial inequalities. Based on the results of a survey called Daily Life and Health, the National Institute of Demographic Studies (INED) calculated, for the first time, what was the life expectancy, after 60 years, of men and women. of the 100 French departments. Their survey reveals notable differences from one department to another.
What is disability-free life expectancy?
Life expectancy at birth represents the average number of years remaining to live beyond a certain age, under the mortality conditions of a given year. This indicator is not predictive because it does not take into account the evolution of the health system. It can be supplemented by an indicator which combines both the quantitative and qualitative dimensions to better assess the benefit of these additional years of life. This is the case with “disability-free life expectancy”, also called “healthy life expectancy“: this indicator measures the number of years that a person can expect to live without suffering from a disability in daily life.
This disability-free life expectancy at age 60 ranges from 11 to 18 years according to the department and the sex of the people.
It is better to live in the South than in the North
Today, the lowest life expectancy is found in the north of the country: at 60 years old, the inhabitants of Pas-de-Calais have a life expectancy of 26 years for women and 20 years for men. While in the south, in the Hautes-Alpes, the inhabitants have the highest life expectancy, with 28 years for women and 25.1 years for men. The Paris region, the Rhône-Alpes region and the west of the country also benefit from greater longevity (see our slideshow).
Conversely, the overseas departments, Hauts-de-France and some departments of the Grand-Est region (Moselle, Bas-Rhin …) or the Center region (Corrèze, Creuse … ), departments which are known to be less economically advantaged, combine disadvantages with a low life expectancy at 60 years, most of which are in poor health.
Source:
Differences in disability-free life expectancy in the French departments First results from the Vie Quotidienne et Santé survey, Ined, October 2021
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