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The latest GUS report shows that the coronavirus pandemic is mainly responsible for the significant decline in the average life expectancy of Poles in 2020. But not only. Our lives are also shortened by cardiovascular diseases and cancer. An unhealthy lifestyle doesn’t help either.
- In 2020, the average life expectancy of Poles decreased sharply in all voivodeships. According to the Central Statistical Office, the reason is the coronavirus
- Last year, there were 67 thousand. deaths more than in 2019, 43 percent this surplus includes deaths due to COVID-19 infection, according to the data of the Ministry of Health
- The life expectancy of women is still greater than that of men. On average, city dwellers live the longest – here they stand out in favor of, among others, Wroclaw and Krakow
- More similar information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page
Life expectancy in Poland
Compared to Europe, we do not rank well in terms of life expectancy. In 2020, Poland was only 74,1th in terms of life expectancy of men (29 years) out of 36 countries included in Eurostat data, ahead of Montenegro, Serbia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Latvia. In the case of women, Poland (81,9 years old) was slightly higher in this ranking, i.e. in 24th place.
It is not new that women live longer than men, but in Poland, the difference between the two groups is exceptionally large. While in the 90s the difference between the average life expectancy of women and men decreased (in 1991 – 9,2 years; in 2001 – 8,2 years), the first decade of the 8,7st century brought an increase of this value to 2006 ( in the years 2008–2014). Until 8,0, it fell slightly below 2020 and has remained at a similar level since then. In 8,1, this difference was XNUMX years.
- See also: Men also fade. What should you know about andropause?
Length of life. Living in the countryside shortens your life?
Although it seems surprising – because the village appears to us as an oasis of peace and healing the closeness of nature – people live longer in the city. According to a survey by the Central Statistical Office of Poland, in 2020 the average life expectancy of men living in cities was 72,9 years and was 0,8 years longer than for men in rural areas. For women living in cities, the average life expectancy was 80,8 years and was 0,2 years higher than for women in the countryside.
Particularly noteworthy are the subregions formed by the largest cities in the country, with 6,3 million inhabitants (ie 16,3% of the country’s total population). These include the following cities: Kraków, Łódź, Poznań, Szczecin, Warsaw, Wrocław, as well as the Katowice and Tri-City sub-regions. Among them, in as many as six subregions, both men and women lived longer than the national average.
Last year, the longest life expectancy among women was recorded in Wrocław (82,3 years), while the longest life expectancy among men in Kraków (75,4 years).
Compared to other large cities, the Katowice subregion looks very unfavorable, where the average life expectancy of men is lower than the national average by 1,2 years, and of women by 1,6 years.
- See also: COVID-19 deaths in Poland – what do we know about the victims? There is a report by epidemiologists
Map of life expectancy in Poland
In the last three decades, the average life expectancy was lengthening in all voivodeships. However, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, there was a sharp decline in life expectancy in all provinces, for both men and women. In the case of men, the highest decrease was recorded in Świętokrzyskie (1,8 years), and the lowest in Warmińsko-Mazurskie (by 1 year). For women, the decline was the highest in the province. Łódzkie and Podkarpackie (1,4 years), the lowest in Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Pomorskie and Zachodniopomorskie (0,6 years).
How is the life expectancy imposed on the map of voivodships? The CSO showed it on the map below, emphasizing that these are data forecasting life expectancy for those born in 2020, assuming that nothing will affect the current state of affairs.
The average life expectancy in Poland, by voivodship, is very diverse. In 2020, men living in the province had the shortest life. Łódzkie (71,1 years), while the longest in the Małopolskie and Podkarpackie provinces (73,8 and 73,7 years, respectively). In all voivodships in eastern and south-eastern Poland, the average life expectancy of women is higher than for the country in general. Women live the shortest time in the province. Łódzkie (79,6 years), while the longest in the Podlaskie and Podkarpackie voivodeships – they live there on average (respectively) 81,9 and 81,8 years.
Life expectancy of Poles. Not only COVID-19 is affected
According to the Ministry of Health, the number of deaths in Poland in 2020 increased compared to the previous years 2016-2019. In 2020, compared to 2019, there were 67 thousand. more deaths. 43 percent of this surplus are deaths reported by Sanitary and Epidemiological Stations as caused by COVID-19 infection.
The report of the Central Statistical Office shows that cardiovascular diseases are still the dominant cause of death in Poland – almost 40 percent. Another common cause of deaths is cancer – in 2019, they accounted for 26,5%. all deaths. Respiratory diseases in 2019 accounted for 6,6 percent. all deaths. But these are not the only factors that reduce the average life expectancy of Poles.
«Currently, there are also other phenomena that may potentially contribute to the inhibition of the increase in life expectancy in Poland. In particular, the organizational and staffing problems of the health service should be mentioned, which is reflected in, inter alia, the reduction in the number of beds in hospitals per 10 thousand people. population. There is also a marked increase in the number of obese people in Poland (in 2004 the share of overweight men was 19,8% and obese 2,6% in 2014 – 44,1% and 18,1%, respectively). . Air pollution and the related possible increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases may also be an important factor »- we read in the summary of the CSO report.
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