Ligi: it's better to die at the right time
09.03.2010, 12:00Commenting the news that life expectancy of men in Estonia is 11 years shorter than that of women, finance minister Jürgen Ligi said yesterday that it is better to die at the right time. "It is much harder for women since they must live another 11 years without men. To be alone for 11 years is much more difficult than to die at the right time," said Ligi.
Ligi said that if Estonian men want to live longer they should drink and smoke less and not to take silly risks. "But we have encouraging results from fewer traffic deaths. At present about five times less are killed in traffic accidents than at record times," he said.
Due to a higher life expectancy, women outnumber men at the age of 65+ by two times. In 2008 life expectancy in Estonia was 79.2 years for women and 68.6 years for men. During the last ten years, life expectancy has increased by 3.5 years for women and by four years for men, according to Statistics Estonia.
Regardless of the increase, life expectancy of the population in Estonia remains lower than in most European Union countries. In the European Union on average, the life expectancy was 82.2 years for women and 76.1 years for men in 2008. In all European countries, women live longer than men, but in Estonia the gender difference in life expectancy — nearly 11 years — is one of the largest in the European Union.
By 2050 in Estonia, life expectancy of women will reach 80.4 years and that of men — 78.4 years. While the life expectancy of women was already in 2008 close to the projection of 2050, men still lag behind by nearly 10 years of life.
At the same time, one can clearly see the change in the age structure and the noticeable aging of the population in Estonia. As a result of the increasing life expectancy and decreasing birth rate, the share of the elderly constantly grows. In 40 years’ time, persons aged 65 and older will account for a quarter of the population already; in 1990 their share was two times smaller.
Comparison of the proportions of men and women in population reveals that the number of women was 8% larger than that of men in 2009. Although more boys than girls are born every year, women outnumber men starting from the age of 35. This is a result of premature deaths of men, mainly caused by accidents and injuries. Due to a higher life expectancy, the number of women aged 65+ surpasses the number of men of the same age by two times. According to projections, the gender balance of the population is going to improve and the surplus of women will start from the age of early sixties instead of 35 by the year 2050.
It is important that the increase in life expectancy should not involve deterioration of health. Healthy Life Years is an important indicator to monitor the health status of population. Relying on the statistics of 2008, women live without disability for 57 years and men for 53 years in Estonia. This indicator is one of the lowest compared to other countries of the European Union.