The latest figures released by the EU statistical office Eurostat have revealed where people in Switzerland live the longest. The report found that while average life expectancy in the alpine nation is still high, at 83,7 years, this value differs by canton.
According to the data, the average life expectancy of someone born in Switzerland in 2022 is 83,7 years old. This is the second highest in Europe, just behind Lichtenstein with 83,9 years. Spain (83,2), Sweden (83,1) and Luxembourg (83) rounded out the top five. By contrast, Bulgaria (74,2), Latvia (74,5) and Romania (75,1) have the lowest life expectancies in Europe.
Like the rest of the continent, life expectancy in Switzerland varied by sex, with women living for an average of 85,5 years, compared to 81,8 years for men. While the gap is still sizeable at 3,7 years, it is closer together than the European average (5,4) and far closer than in Latvia, where women tend to live 10 years longer than men on average.
For 2022, Ticino took the crown as having the longest life expectancy in Switzerland. In the Italian-speaking canton, women born today can expect to live for a whopping 86,7 years, while men will likely live for 82,3 years. With an average of 84,6 years, Ticino has the second highest life expectancy out of all European regions, only behind Madrid (85,2).
Over the years, several studies have tried to explain why life expectancy in Ticino and Switzerland as a whole is so high. Theories include the country having high levels of wealth, standards of well-being and a special type of diet - usually related to the Mediterranean-style diet in Ticino in combination with the Swiss love for cheese.
Speaking to Watson back in 2023, demographic expert Philippe Wanner noted that while wealth, high levels of education and high-quality healthcare were factors in Switzerland's success, migration also has its part to play: “People who migrate are often in good health, while migrants in poor health tend to return home: this migrant population is therefore generally in good health and draws the life expectancy upwards.”
Canton Ticino was just ahead of the Lake Geneva region (Valais, Vaud and Geneva) in second with an average life expectancy of 84 years. Central and northwestern regions and Canton Zurich came joint third with 83,8 years, with eastern Switzerland and the Mittelland placing bottom with 83,2 years. For more information, check out the Eurostat data.