You might expect that the clear mountain air of the Alps would give inhabitants the longest life expectancy in France, or perhaps the sunny days and gentle winters of Provence - but in fact new data reveals that the place in France where people live the longest is the Paris region.
Women in the greater Paris region of Île-de-France can expect to live 86.6 years old, while men have a life expectancy of 80.8 years. The overall average lifespan for the region is 83.8 years - above the national average of 82.4 and the highest in France, according to a study by European statistics body Eurostat.
But there might be something in that crystal clear mountain air - the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region is second on Eurostat's long-life list, with women in the region living 86.7 years, while men’s life expectancy is the same as for men in Île-de-France.
Corsica, which was ranked first in France for life expectancy in 2022, is now in third place after it saw life expectancy averages fall from 87 to 86.2 years for women, and from 84 to 80.6 years for men.
The lowest average life expectancy in metropolitan France is in the northern Hauts-de-France region, the figures show, with the average lifespan of 83.8 years for women and 77.2 for men.
The region was formerly France's centre of heavy industry and coal mining, which may account for shorter life expectancy.
Across the European regions, overall life expectancy at birth was 80.1 years, the study revealed – 82.9 years for women and 77.2 years for men. At the time of birth, females are expected to live longer in every region of the EU where data is available.
In 2021, the overall life expectancy at birth in the EU was 80.1 years. The life expectancy for women was 82.9 years.?
— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) November 6, 2023
Highest for women in:
??Comunidad de Madrid (88.2 years)
??Comunidad Foral de Navarra (87.6 years)
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While Ile-de-France is the longest-lived area of France, it is not the longest lived region of Europe.
The highest life expectancy at birth for women is in Spain - in the Comunidad de Madrid it is 88.2 years followed by Comunidad Foral de Navarra (87.6 years), Castilla y León (87.5 years), Cantabria (87.1 years), Galicia and País Vasco (both 87.0 years).
The highest figure for life expectancy at birth for men, 82.8 years, was recorded in the autonomous island region of Åland (Finland), followed by Comunidad de Madrid (82.2 years) and Comunidad Foral de Navarra (81.9) in Spain, then the Swedish regions of Stockholm (82.1 years) and Småland med öarna (81.9 years).
In 2021, the overall life expectancy at birth in the EU was 80.1 years. The life expectancy for men was 77.2 years. ?
— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) November 6, 2023
Highest for men in:
?? Åland (82.8 years)
?? Comunidad de Madrid (82.2 years)
Read the news article ? https://t.co/VvTdWxGOWM#EurostatRYB pic.twitter.com/49FmYdykNl
Life expectancy for men and women by region of France
| Region | Overall life expectancy | Female life expectancy | Male Life Expectancy |
| FRANCE | 82.4 | 85.5 | 79.3 |
| Ile de France | 83.8 | 86.6 | 80.8 |
| Centre Val de Loire | 82.2 | 85.4 | 79.0 |
| Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 82.3 | 85.5 | 79.1 |
| Normandie | 81.6 | 84.9 | 78.2 |
| Hauts-de-France | 80.5 | 83.8 | 77.2 |
| Grand Est | 81.8 | 84.8 | 78.7 |
| Pays-de-la-Loire | 83.1 | 86.2 | 80.1 |
| Bretagne | 82.4 | 85.6 | 79.1 |
| Nouvelle Aquitaine | 82.7 | 85.8 | 79.6 |
| Occitanie | 82.9 | 85.8 | 79.9 |
| Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 83.4 | 86.4 | 80.4 |
| PACA | 82.4 | 85.4 | 79.4 |
| Corsica | 83.4 | 86.2 | 80.6 |
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