Estimated life expectancy often serves as an indicator of the population’s general health. Today a baby boy can expect to live until the age of 76.5 years and a baby girl to the age of 81.5. This is a marked increase since the period 1946-50 when the figures were 69.3 and 72.7 respectively.

Life expectancy at birth for males and females

In the 1950s and 1960s, there was an increasing gap between men and women as regards life expectancy. This was mainly due to the rising male mortality rate for cardiovascular diseases. This gap has become smaller over the last ten years.

Internationally there are large differences in life expectancy, and the same is true for regions in Norway. For example, a girl in Sogn og Fjordane have a life expectancy of almost 83 years while in Finnmark the figure is just over 80.

Before, during and immediately after the Second World War, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases were still important causes of death. After 1960, these played a less important role while cardiovascular diseases became more common and were the cause of half of all deaths at the beginning of the 1970s. Their significance was then somewhat reduced. In contrast, cancer deaths have increased throughout the whole period, especially for men.

Deaths resulting from violence have remained relatively stable in the post-war period. Earlier, death by drowning and accidents related to fishing and shipping dominated the statistics, while today falls, traffic accidents and suicide dominate.

Table: Causes of death. Per cent. (click on the link)

Sickness absence percentage for males and females. 4th quarter 2002 Sickness absence The sickness absence rate, which is an indicator of illness in the population, amounts to almost 8 per cent of the total working days. 1 per cent is self-certified short-term absence while 7 per cent is doctor-registered absence. Females have a higher sickness absence percentage than males, especially when it comes to doctor-registered sickness absence. Illness during pregnancy is probably part of the reason for the difference. Percentage of daily smokers. Males and females aged 16-74* * Three year moving average. Almost one out of three smokes every day Since the beginning of the 1970s, the proportion of daily smokers has dropped considerably. For men the percentage has fallen from over 50 to 30 while for women the percentage has remained stable at just over 30. 11 per cent say that they smoke occasionally. While there is a drop in the proportion of men who smoke, there has been an increase in the percentage of those who take snuff. 6 per cent of men aged 16-74 say that they take snuff daily and just as many take snuff ‘now and again’. Previously this was mostly used by elderly men while today it is most common among men under 45.