Poles live longest in history, but Warsaw and Łódź life expectancies differ by over 4 years

Life expectancy for newborns in Poland has reached its highest point in history in 2025, according to the Central Statistical Office (GUS). Male newborns are expected to live 75.37 years, while female newborns are projected to reach 82.48 years. These figures represent an increase of 0.4 years for men and 0.2 years for women compared to 2024.

However, the path to this record has not been linear. GUS data, collected since 1960, reveals fluctuations. For instance, women's life expectancy was higher in 1979 (74.9 years) than in 1985 (74.8 years). Similarly, men's life expectancy in 1968 (67 years) surpassed that of 1992 (66.5 years). Over the three decades between 1960 and 1990, male life expectancy increased by only 1.3 years.

GUS experts point to two key phenomena that have significantly extended Polish lives. The rapid decline in infant mortality during the 1960s was a major factor. Subsequently, a substantial reduction in mortality rates among individuals over 60 years old since the 1990s has also contributed to the overall increase.

In 2025, Warsaw recorded the longest life expectancy for both men (78.54 years) and women (84.17 years), while Łódź had the shortest (74.09 for men, 80.8 for women). Men in Warsaw live on average three years longer than the national average, whereas women in Łódź live more than 1.5 years shorter than the average Polish woman. Compared to other European countries, Polish men's life expectancy ranks 28th out of 34 analyzed, ahead of countries like Bulgaria and Romania, but behind the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Polish women, however, live longer than Slovakian women.

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In 2025, the expected life expectancy of a male newborn in Poland was 75.37 years, and for a female, it was 82.48 years. Compared to 2024, it increased by 0.4 years for men and 0.2 years for women.