Posted 23 Feb. 2023 at 10:20Updated Feb 23. 2023 at 11:07
The argument is regularly put forward by the government to justify the decline to 64 years of the legal age of retirement: life expectancy is increasing in France. But are these extra years of life necessarily lived in good health?
The Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) published its indicator of disability-free life expectancy at age 65 on Thursday, which partly answers this question. This figure corresponds to the years that a 65-year-old can expect to live without being limited in their daily activities. And the results are improving.
2 years and 8 months
In one year, life expectancy in good health at age 65 has increased by 0.5 years for women and 0.7 for men. Between 2008 and 2021, it increased by 2 years and 8 months for men and 2 years and 7 months for women, indicates the Drees.
After working life, a 65-year-old woman can therefore expect to live 12.6 years without disability and 18.8 years without severe disability. A man can expect to live 11.3 years without disability and 16.2 years without severe disability.
The upward trend in healthy life expectancy at age 65 has accelerated over the past two years, despite the Covid crisis. After a decline in 2020, the indicators rebounded in 2021, “catching up with this decline and exceeding the level they would have reached by following their pre-crisis trends”, underlines the Drees. These data must be consolidated by the results of 2022.
Compared to neighboring European countries, the figures are encouraging. In 2020, the disability-free life expectancy of men at age 65 was 8 months higher than the European average, which is 9.5 years. For women, the difference with the European average (10.1 years) reaches one year and eight months.
France does not figure at the top of the ranking, however, since it ranks fifth for disability-free life expectancy for women at age 65 and tenth for men.
France ranked 10th in Europe
In the midst of a debate on pension reform, disability-free life expectancy at age 65 should, however, be analyzed with caution. First, because this indicator, by definition, only concerns people who have survived to this age.
Life expectancy in good health at birth makes it possible to take into account “disabilities appearing from childhood or during working life, and thus covers the entire population”, points out the Drees.
At birth, in 2021, women can thus expect to live 67 years without disability and men 65.6 years. Note that this is an average. In thirteen years, this indicator has increased by 2 years and 6 months for women and 2 years and 10 months for men. In 2020, France thus ranked tenth in Europe for disability-free life expectancy for women at birth. For the men, France took ninth place.