Page 14 - IDEA Study 3 2015 Duchodova studie

Life Expectancy Given their rapidly changing demographics, several countries have linked their statutory retirement age to life expectancy (Denmark, Netherlands, Italy, and France). In the Czech Republic, the Committee on Pension Reform established by the Czech government has recommended a similar policy. Graph 1.1 shows that the life expectancy of individuals at age 50 has increased by about four years for men and about three years for women over the past 20 years. In an international comparison, France, Sweden and the Southern countries exhibit the highest expected longevity. Currently, at age 50 Czech men have on average 27.3 years of life ahead of them, and Czech women have 32.4 years. An important complementary measure of quality of life is the number of years the individual is expected to live in good health at age 50. In this respect, the healthiest life duration is observed in Sweden: 25.2 years for men and 26 for women. In the Czech Republic, the corresponding durations are around 17.2 years for men (i.e. 57% of their expected longevity) and 18.6 years for women (63%), which is not only notably more than in other Eastern European countries, but also more than in Germany. These data show that on average, the senior population in Europe maintains good health until at least the age of 65, and in many countries until 70 years of age. Women not only live longer than men but also enjoy longer healthy lives. GRAPH 1.1 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 DK NL SE AT BE DE FR ES IT HU PL SL CZ Men:  Healthy Life 2012  LE 2012  LE 1992 Source:Eurostat Women: HealthyLife2012LE2012LE1992 Life Expectancy and Life in Good Health at Age 50 12