EU study finds Maltese have longest healthy lifespan

Maltese people spend about 90 percent of their lifespan in good health on average - longer than those in any other EU member,the figures released by the EU on Thursday showed.

The figures emerged from the recently-released state of health in the EU country profile report.

The average Maltese life expectancy had increased to 81.9 years in 2015 from 78.4 years in 2000 and is the sixth longest across the EU, which averages a life expectancy of 80.6 years.

Maltese men were found to live 72.6 healthy years on average, with women spending an average of 74.6 years in good health. On average, 70 percent of Maltese people reported being in good health.

The increased lifespan was mainly the reduction of premature deaths from cardiovascular diseases, although these remained the foremost cause of death for both Maltese men and women.

Heart disease is the biggest killer in Malta, closely followed by cancer. Respiratory diseases and diseases of the nervous system make up the rest of the top four causes of death on the island.