With a female life expectancy of 85.3 years in 2016, women in France have one of the longest life expectancies in Europe. This result is different for men: there is a six-year gap between the life expectancies at birth for women and men (79.3 years) in France and that male disadvantage is more marked in France than in other European countries.

Twenty years earlier, this indicator was 82.3 years for women and 74.2 years for men, which gave an even more pronounced gap between women and men. This persistent male disadvantage raises questions over the main causes of premature male death, which are tumours, cardiovascular diseases and accidents. These causes of death must be examined in view of risky behaviours and factors, such as the consumption of tobacco and alcohol and, to a lesser extent in France, the prevalence of excess weight and obesity. The fact that people are living longer has made it possible to observe the development of the health situation of people aged over 65, as ageing can be a cause of moderate or severe disabilities. In France in 2016, a 65-year-old woman can expect to live, on average, for 10.5 years without disability and for 12.8 years with mild to severe functional limitations, in comparison with 9.4 years and 9.9 years for men, respectively. France holds a mid-ranking position among the European countries. Having long been associated solely with women, the challenge of ageing with disabilities now also affects men.