Figures reveal difference in life expectancy between different Brussels communes

New figures have revealed significant inequalities in life expectancy in the Brussels region, with a woman in Uccle living on average almost 10 years longer than a man in Saint-Josse-Ten-Noode.

The highest life expectancy for women was recorded in the area around the Royal Observatory in Uccle with an average of 85.6 years – almost four years more than in the Marius Renard district in Anderlecht, where life expectancy for women is lowest (81.9 years) according to a recent analysis of 2023 data by the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis (IBSA) and the Health and Social Observatory (Vivalis Research Department).

The highest life expectancy for men was measured in the Roodebeek district in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, with an average of 81.6 years. The lowest was in the Pentagon neighbourhood in central Brussels at 76.8 years, followed by Saint-Josse at 77.1.

Overall, life expectancy at birth was 83.9 years for women in the Brussels region and 79 for men.

While women tend to outlive men on average, in Brussels the gender gap is smallest in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert (3.1 years), where women can expect to live to 84.6 years of age while men can expect to live to 81.5 years of age.

In Saint-Gilles, the gap is more than six years. Life expectancy for women there is 83.8 years compared to 77.7 years for men.

Even the lowest life expectancy for women, 81.9 years in Marius Renard, is still higher than the highest life expectancy for men: 81.6 years in the Roodebeek zone.

Residents in the south-east of Brussels live longer on average than elsewhere in the Brussels region.

IBSA and Vivalis cite several possible causes for the significant differences in life expectancy, including the socio-economic positions of the inhabitants of the different neighbourhoods.

For example, Brussels residents with a lower socio-economic position are more likely to be treated for diabetes. Furthermore, incapacity for work is almost twice as common among those in the lowest socio-economic positions as among those in the highest.

According to the report, the environment also has an influence. High levels of air pollution, high noise pollution, a lack of green spaces and a lack of sports infrastructure have a negative impact on the life expectancy of residents in central Brussels.

According to IBSA and Vivalis, the large differences between men and women are due to behavioural and environmental factors that affect men more than women.

Smoking, alcohol, risky traffic behaviour, less preventive care and greater occupational risks account for most of the difference in life expectancy.