In films, men and women are sometimes portrayed as competing over which pain is greater—childbirth or a man’s ability to endure hardship.
In real life, healthy life years and illness patterns have often been analysed.
It turns out that in the European Union, longevity wears a distinctly feminine face—but so does fragility. Women outlive men, though those added years are more often marked by health concerns, according to the European Parliament’s public consultation on women’s health.
So, what are women really dealing with?
Reproductive conditions such as cancers and endometriosis, alongside higher rates of anxiety, depression, and osteoarthritis, reveal a complex and multifaceted picture. Perimenopause care and access to sexual and reproductive healthcare also emerge as critically underperforming areas.
Women-specific conditions—including menstruation-related disorders, PCOS, incontinence, and urinary tract infections—are consistently rated poorly, pointing to gaps that remain insufficiently addressed.
Even in areas often seen as gender-neutral—such as cardiovascular disease—women experience different symptoms, risks, and outcomes.
Together, these form the often-overlooked contours of women’s health: not a single issue, but a spectrum of challenges that are still, too often, underestimated.
Large disparities in health exist, both between and within EU Member States. Respondents across all groups reported gender-based inequalities, including longer waiting times, unequal access, and differences in treatment compared to men—sometimes extending to reports of unnecessary painful procedures.
Many also felt that workplace approaches to women’s health placed them at a disadvantage, with support rated consistently low.
Healthcare provision for the LGBTIQ community was another area of concern, receiving persistently low evaluations—particularly in terms of access to appropriate information, professional expertise, and tailored care.
Participants consistently rated several areas strikingly low: access to clear information on women’s healthcare rights and needs; understanding of LGBTIQ-specific health concerns; knowledge about how medications affect sexes and genders differently; awareness of harmful chemicals in cosmetics and everyday products; and education around sexual, reproductive, and overall body health.
The study also points to clear priorities for action:
- Better research into safe medication and dosages for women,
- Improved access to women-specific and preventive healthcare,
- Stronger efforts to reduce health inequalities, and
- Enhanced education, information, and professional training across all aspects of women’s health.
More than half of respondents supported stronger future EU involvement in women’s health, with many also favouring shared responsibility between the EU and Member States.
Ageing of the population
On 1 January 2025, the median age of the EU’s population reached 44.9 years. This means that half of the people in the EU were older than 44.9 years, while the other half was younger. Across the EU, it ranged from 39.6 years in Ireland to 49.1 years in Italy (Eurostat).
At EU level, the median age has increased by 2.1 years since 2015, when it was 42.8 years. Increases were recorded in all EU countries, except Germany and Malta (each -0.4 years).
The ageing of the population was most pronounced in Slovakia and Cyprus, where the median increased by 4.0 years, followed by Italy (+3.9 years), Greece and Poland (each +3.8 years) and Portugal (+3.7 years).
On 1 January 2024, there were 229 million women and 220 million men in the EU. This corresponds to a ratio of 104.4 women per 100 men, which means that there were 4.4% more women than men. There were more women than men in all EU countries, except Malta, Sweden, Luxembourg, and Slovenia. The highest ratio was found in Latvia (15.5% more women than men).
Over the period 1 January 2004 to 1 January 2024, the proportion of persons aged 80 and over grew in all EU countries. At EU level, it increased by 2.3 percentage points (pp), from 3.8% to 6.1%. The highest increases were in Greece (+3.2 pp, from 3.8% to 7.0%), Latvia (+3.2 pp, from 2.9% to 6.1%) and Portugal (also +3.2 pp, from 3.8% to 7.0%), and the lowest in Sweden (+0.5 pp, from 5.3% to 5.8%).
Over the same period, the share of persons aged 65 and over also increased in all EU countries. At EU level, the increase was 5.2 pp, from 16.4% to 21.6%.
In 2023 in the EU, it was 84.2 years for girls and 78.9 years for boys — a difference of 5.3 years.
01.05.2026.
