Footnote:
Eastern Europe
Europe
Europe and Central Asia
English
en_US
Description:
Europe’s population is growing older. People are living longer and healthier lives. Wealthier European Union (EU) countries have enjoyed near‐universal access to better health care and seen public health promotion and lifestyle changes that have reduced the morbidity and mortality due to heart disease, an effort known as the “cardiovascular revolution”. As a result the EU‐15 countries enjoy an average life expectancy of 81 years. At the same time, EU‐15 countries have also witnessed a drop in fertility since the 1970s, though recently fertility has stabilized or reincreased in a number of countries