According to data collected by Eurostat, Corsica offers the best life expectancy at birth with 84 years on average. The figure climbs to 87 for women.
Have the Corsicans found the elixir of youth? According to a study conducted in 2022 by Eurostatthe statistical office of the European Union, the inhabitants of the Isle of Beauty enjoy the longest life expectancy at birth in Europe, estimated at 84 years.
“Sun” and “eat well”
With 17°C, the air is mild on this January morning on a beach in Ajaccio, in Corse-du-Sud, and a group of retirees take advantage of it, like every day, to sunbathe and perform a few fathoms.
“I even forgot that I had worked!”, Launches Pierre at the microphone of BFMTV.
The 76-year-old Corsican retiree claims to feel in great shape. For him, the secret of his longevity is simple: “sunshine, eat well”, he summarizes.
With 84 years of life expectancy, the Corsicans are in the lead in the European Union, where the average is 80.4 years. Among Corsican women, the figure climbs to 87 years.
After Corsica, other islanders occupy second place in the European ranking: it is the Balearic Islands, in Spain (83.9 years). Residents of the Epirus region in western Greece complete the podium (83.8 years).
Overall, the Mediterranean countries, from France to Spain, via Italy and Greece, stand out in this study. Conversely, the worst off are located in north-eastern Europe, notably in Bulgaria, which is particularly poorly ranked, with only 72.1 years of life expectancy in the north-west and 72.8 years in the center-north.
The figure is however down from the data collected in 2019 (-0.9 years). “This drop in life expectancy is linked to the sudden increase in mortality in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” says Eurostat.
A particular “quality of life”?
“On the continent, they can’t live to be old, it’s not possible, they have too much stress,” said Mattea, a Corsican resident.
“The quality of life in Corsica, we cannot give it elsewhere, it is not possible”, estimates for her part Marie-Noël.
The assets of the Island of Beauty? The sea and the mountains, according to some locals. Something to keep in shape in an exceptional environment. “When you’re athletic, you resist all these pains (related to age)”, explains Chantal, who indulges herself in yoga on the fine sand.
“I may not be a centenarian, but I will try to go as far as possible,” she says mischievously.
