The life expectancy of Danish men and women has recovered to levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic, with 67-year-old males experiencing a five-month increase in life expectancy in 2024.

Figures from ATP’s life expectancy model reveal that life expectancy has increased in Denmark for the second year in a row, after falling during the pandemic.

"The increased life expectancy that ATP expects to see year after year did not materialise during the pandemic. And today, life expectancy is increasing more slowly than it was 10 years ago, but we're not done getting older," ATP chief actuary, Camilla Fredsgaard Larsen, said.

According to ATP’s model, which it updates annually, the 2024 increase for men is the largest in 15 years. The figures, which include Denmark and 17 other comparable countries, show that the life expectancy for a 67-year-old man in Denmark is 84.2, while for a 67-year-old woman, life expectancy has increased by 2.6 months to 86.7.

Fredsgaard Larsen, said: "An increase of almost half a year in life expectancy for Danish men is a big deal. This is only the second time in the last 30 years that life expectancy for men has increased so much in a single year.

"Men are taking the big leap forward this time, but women still live the longest. This has been the case since we started measuring in this area, and it's generally true all over the world."

However, ATP stated that Danes continue to live shorter lives compared to their European neighbours; in Sweden and Norway, the average life expectancy is about a year longer for both women and men.

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