Health

Health is about being and feeling well: a long life unencumbered by physical or mental illness, and the ability to participate in activities that people value. Average life expectancy at birth in OECD countries is 80.5 years, and two-thirds of adults report good health. Suicide, acute alcohol abuse and drug overdose cause 2% of all deaths. In European OECD countries, 6% of adults recently experienced depressive symptoms. Since 2010, life expectancy has increased almost everywhere, but is showing signs of plateauing in some countries. Trends in perceived health, suicide and substance abuse deaths diverged between countries. Women live longer than men, but report worse health and higher rates of depressive symptoms. Four times more men than women die from suicide and substance abuse, although female deaths from these causes have risen in more than one-third of OECD countries since 2010. There are large education- and income-related inequalities in health.