Life expectancy is improving in France (read our article). She now reaches 85 and a half for women and almost 80 for men in 2019, according to the Ministry of Solidarity. Living longer is one thing, but are we really enjoying those extra years? To measure the length of life in “good health”, the ministry conducts an annual survey of the population, in which it asks respondents if they have been limited in their activities for at least six months because of a problem. health.
The so-called “disability-free” life expectancy is logically shorter than life expectancy itself. If we take into account the “severe” disability – we only consider people who declare a “severe” limitation -, it is – at birth – 77.9 years for women and 73.7 years. years for men. That is to say a little less than eight years less than life expectancy for women and six for men: this is a measure of the duration, generally at the end of life, spent in poor health. However, we must be careful when comparing the two quantities: one is the age of death actually observed, the other (good health) results from the declaration of the interested parties.
The difference in life expectancy without severe disability between women and men – around four years – is much smaller than for life expectancy. It can mean two things. On the one hand, that women live longer, but partly in poor health conditions. On the other hand, that they are more attentive to their body and that with an equivalent loss of autonomy, they more often declare a severe disability. Both elements are probably at play.
In ten years, women have gained 1.3 years of life expectancy without severe disability, men 1.8 years. The indicator has increased almost as much as life expectancy itself. This means that the years gained are years of good health, which is good news. The best support for limitations such as hearing or vision problems for example could play.
It is very difficult to determine the impact that the health crisis of 2020 will have on these data. Life expectancy will decrease slightly and the consequences of the disease may increase severe disabilities, although we cannot yet determine the extent of the disability. At the end of 2020, Covid-19 had caused just under 60,000 deaths, the equivalent of 10% of the deaths usually recorded. But confinement will have other, much more complex repercussions. Negative, because some diseases have been less well monitored, such as cancer. But also positive, because less activity means fewer accidents on the roads, for example, and new health habits will have a favorable effect on other diseases, in particular influenza.
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