Metadata: Life expectancy

Flemish Statistical Authority

www.vlaanderen.be/statistiek-vlaanderen/contact

12/09/2025

Administrative data (National Register)

Statbel has legal access to the National Register. They provide the VSA with an extract annually (around 15 June).

Legal population of Belgium

Gender

• Man
• Woman

Life expectancy at a given age indicates how many years a person can expect to live from that age onwards if he or she were to be subject to the observed mortality rates for that age during the observation period. It is a widely reported period measure, which is an indicator of the general health level of the population during the observation period. Life expectancy at birth is the life expectancy from the day of birth, averaged for all those born in that year.

Statistical services use two definitions of age when compiling demographic parameters, based on the so-called “double classification” for age:

1. age according to the last birthday = the number of past birthdays (exact age)
2. age according to the year of birth = the number of full years between the observation year and the year of birth.

In general, for ages x ≥ 1 year, life expectancy by age according to year of birth is higher than life expectancy by age according to last birthday. Up to approximately 50 years for men and 60 years for women, the difference is approximately 0.5 years. After that, the difference gradually narrows. This can be explained by the fact that, when determining life expectancy according to age at birth, life expectancy at successive ages is determined on 1 January of the year in which that age will be reached. When determining life expectancy according to age at last birthday, this is done on the day of the birthday, which on average falls somewhere in the middle of the calendar year.

Here, the calculation is always based on the exact age.

These are population data. So there is no sampling error. But the administrative data are obviously not error-free. Incorrect and/or late registration by the National Register certainly occurs. A comparison of status and movement data in the DEMOBEL database, for example, shows that a statistical adjustment is needed every year “to make the figures add up”. However, this adjustment is usually limited. For 2024, the adjustment amounted to 801 persons for Belgium, out of a total population of almost 11.7 million. Statbel considers this number to be an indication of the high quality of the data.

Life expectancy calculations are based on the number of deaths per age, as recorded in the mortality table with so-called “double age classification”, according to age and year of birth. Statbel follows Eurostat guidelines in this regard.

The processing of certain data from death certificates (including medical data on causes of death) has been entrusted by Royal Decree to the regional authorities (regions and communities) of Belgium. For the Flemish Government, this task is performed by the Care and Health Agency (under the authority of competent medical officers). Statbel is responsible for coordinating all registrations for the compilation of official mortality statistics. The various federal and regional partners involved therefore meet from time to time to coordinate their activities (in a working group of the High Council for Statistics).

The final death statistics are compiled by Statbel on the basis of two sources: 1) the National Register of Natural Persons (RR), and 2) the statistical forms for reporting a death to the civil registry (whether or not via electronic reporting), for which the relevant information is provided by the regions and communities in accordance with current standards and procedures.

Statbel only takes into account the deaths of persons who had their legal residence in Belgium at the time of death and who are counted as part of the legal population (excluding the waiting register for asylum seekers/applicants for international protection). Since 2010, the registers for the legal population in the National Register of Natural Persons (RR) have been used as the reference source.

The data are comparable with other regions of Belgium. Comparison with other countries is more difficult because Eurostat reports the ‘usually resident population’ rather than the ‘legal population’. The “usually resident population” is the population that usually resides in the specified territory (country/region/municipality). The “usual place of residence” refers more specifically to the place where a person normally lives, regardless of temporary absences for reasons of recreation, leave, visits to friends or acquaintances, work circumstances, medical care or religious pilgrimages. Only the following are considered usual residents: 1) persons who have been living in the place of residence for more than 12 months prior to the reference time (1 January of the specified year), and 2) those who arrived within the last 12 months before the reference period with the intention of staying for more than a year (cf. Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council on Community statistics on migration and international protection). An important aspect of the European provision is that asylum seekers are also included, at least as long as they are staying (registered) in the host country for a long period (>12 months) or at least have the intention to do so. In practice, EU Member States use various methods to comply – approximately – with the European provisions on the “usual resident population” and “international migration”. Since 2011, Belgium has been reporting to Eurostat on the “usual resident population” according to the European definition. This population is slightly larger than the “legal population” (approximately 30,000 more for Belgium and 10,000 more for the Flemish Region). European statistics lack the quality of a closed logical system that characterises Belgian population statistics. However, the latter has a blind spot for the non-legal population (asylum seekers, so-called “undocumented migrants”, transit migrants, etc.). It is also not always clear to what extent the various Member States have a clear picture of mortality among the “usual resident population”.

The federal government also periodically reports mortality statistics to various international bodies, including Eurostat and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Statistics Flanders: Population movement (in Dutch)(opens in new window)

Agency for Care and Health: Life expectancy(opens in new window)

Eurostat: Database(opens in new window)

National Register: National register of natural persons(opens in new window)

Statbel: Mortality, life expectancy and causes of death(opens in new window)

Life expectancy