EU sees narrowing gaps in life expectancy, infant mortality

The long-existing gaps in life expectancy and infant mortality between EU member states have been narrowing, according to the latest report from the European Commission. From 2007 to 2011, the gap between the longest and shortest life expectancy in the EU dropped by 17 percent for men. The gap for women fell by 4 percent from 2006 to 2011, says the report. Within the EU, Sweden has the highest life expectancy for men, or 79.9 years, compared to 68.1 years in the member state with the lowest expectancy. For women, the highest is in France, or 85.7 years, which is 8 years more than the lowest expectancy. The gap in infant mortality between those with the highest and the lowest rates also went down from 15.2 to 7.3 per 1000 live births in the 2001-2011 period. Average infant mortality in the EU also fell from 5.7 to 3.9 per 1000 live births in the same period. "Inequalities in health in terms of life expectancy and in particular in infant mortality have been significantly reduced in the EU in the past few years... Action to bridge health inequalities across Europe must remain a priority at all levels," the EU's health commissioner Tonio Borg said. The report concludes that social inequalities in health are due to a disparity in the conditions of daily life and drivers such as income, unemployment levels and levels of education.