Healthy life expectancy at birth reaches 57.6 years in Türkiye

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) has released its “Life Tables, 2022-2024” report, revealing that the average life expectancy at birth in Türkiye has risen to 78.1 years. This marks an increase from the 77.3 years recorded in the 2021-2023 period.

According to the data, life expectancy at birth is 75.5 years for men and 80.7 years for women, showing that women in Türkiye live on average 5.2 years longer than men.

For individuals aged 15, the start of working age, the average remaining life expectancy is 64.3 years, with 61.7 years for men and 66.9 years for women.

At age 30, the average remaining life span is 49.9 years, broken down as 47.5 years for men and 52.3 years for women, reflecting a 4.8-year difference between the sexes at this age.

For 50-year-olds, the average remaining life expectancy stands at 30.9 years, with 28.6 years for men and 33.1 years for women.

At age 65, a person in Türkiye can expect to live another 18 years on average, with 16.3 years for men and 19.6 years for women. This indicates that 65-year-old women are likely to live 3.3 years longer than their male counterparts.

The report also highlights the significant role of education in life expectancy. As education levels increase, so does the expected life span. Individuals with lower educational attainment tend to have shorter life expectancies at every age, whereas those with higher educational levels tend to live longer.

When life expectancy is examined by both gender and educational level, the data show a consistent increase for both men and women as educational attainment rises. For example, among 30-year-olds, the difference in life expectancy between individuals with less than secondary education and those with higher education is approximately five years.

The study also includes figures on “healthy life expectancy,” defined as the number of years a person is expected to live without health problems that limit daily activities. At birth, healthy life expectancy in Türkiye is 57.6 years, with 58.9 years for men and 56.3 years for women.

Interestingly, while women live longer overall, men have a longer healthy life expectancy by 2.6 years, according to the latest data.