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Europe’s Longevity Slowdown: What’s Behind It And How To Turn The Tide

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

February 20, 2025

For decades, Europe has led the world in life expectancy, with people born today expected to live well into their 80s. But after years of steady gains, progress stalled in the 2010s—long before the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a sharp decline. A new study sheds light on why longevity gains slowed and what policymakers can do to reverse the trend.

The Numbers Tell The Story

A study published in The Lancet Public Health examined life expectancy trends across 20 European nations, including Germany, France, the UK, and Nordic countries. Between 1990 and 2011, life expectancy rose by an average of 0.23 years per year, driven by fewer deaths from heart disease and cancer. This meant that each new generation could expect to live nearly three months longer than the previous one.

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However, from 2011 to 2019, that rate dropped to 0.15 years per year, signaling a clear slowdown. England experienced the sharpest stagnation, followed by Germany and Spain. Meanwhile, Nordic countries saw only minimal deceleration, maintaining their upward trajectory.

What’s Behind The Slowdown?

The primary culprit: a rise in deaths from cardiovascular diseases linked to obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, poor diet, and lack of physical activity. While past public health efforts successfully reduced mortality from infectious diseases and cancer, lifestyle-related health risks have become more prevalent.

Demographic shifts also play a role. Researchers suggest that increased migration in countries like the UK, France, and Germany has altered the population’s age structure, impacting overall life expectancy figures.

The Pandemic Effect

COVID-19 accelerated the decline. From 2019 to 2021, life expectancy fell across most of Europe, with Greece and England seeing the biggest drops—0.61 and 0.6 years, respectively. However, some countries fared better. Life expectancy continued to rise in Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, and Ireland, while Belgium held steady.

Why did some nations withstand the crisis better? The study suggests that strong public health policies played a crucial role. Countries with proactive healthcare systems and healthier populations before the pandemic were more resilient when the crisis hit.

Reversing The Trend: What Needs To Change?

The solution lies in aggressive public health strategies. The study highlights key policy areas that could help reinvigorate longevity gains:

Targeting preventable health risks – Governments must double down on initiatives promoting healthier diets, regular exercise, and better access to preventive healthcare.
Investing in social infrastructure – Research shows that increased public spending on education and disability services correlates with longer life expectancy.
Economic stability matters – A 2021 study in England found that cuts to local government funding widened the gap in life expectancy between wealthy and lower-income areas.

Signs Of A Rebound?

There’s hope. Recent data from the European Union suggests life expectancy has begun to recover, with the average reaching 81.5 years in 2023. However, some nations—including Austria, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, Greece, and Germany—are still seeing declines.

“Life expectancy for older people in many countries is still improving, showing that we have not yet reached a natural longevity ceiling,” says lead researcher Nick Steel. “We still can reduce risks and prevent early mortality.”

The question now is whether policymakers will act decisively—or risk allowing Europe’s hard-won longevity gains to erode further.

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Cyprus Crypto Users Face New Risks As MiCA Rules Take Effect

by News Editor

August 18, 2026

Why Investors Need To Check The Company Behind Their Crypto Platform

Crypto users in Cyprus are being urged to verify exactly which company holds their assets after the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) transition period ended on July 1, 2026.

MiCA rules for crypto-asset service providers have applied since December 2024, but Cyprus allowed companies operating under its previous national framework to continue temporarily. CySEC required providers wishing to remain in the market to apply by February 27, 2026.

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The end of the transition means that appearing on an old national register is no longer enough. Investors must check the specific legal entity providing the service and the activities it is authorised to perform.

Two Regulatory Routes

CySEC maintains separate registers for providers authorised under Article 63 and companies using the Article 60 notification route.

The lists should not simply be treated as a count of licensed crypto exchanges. Providers have different regulatory statuses and may be authorised for different services, including custody, transfers, exchanges or operating trading platforms.

Companies authorised elsewhere in the EU can also serve Cypriot customers through MiCA passporting. Investors should therefore check the wider ESMA register.

Familiar Brands Can Still Be Used In Scams

MiCA authorisation applies to a specific legal entity, not automatically to every website, subsidiary or service using the same brand. Fraudsters can copy a legitimate company’s name, logo and licence number while changing its website or payment details.

The regulatory transition creates another opportunity for scammers. They can imitate legitimate notices about account closures or transfers and claim that customers must urgently move their assets to a new “regulated” platform.

In its July announcement, CySEC warned that customers using unauthorised providers do not receive MiCA protections and advised investors to verify providers through ESMA.

A Wider European Shake-Up

The changes affect the broader European crypto market. VASPnet estimated that more than 1,700 unlicensed crypto companies could face closure, relocation or restructuring after the transition period.

ESMA’s register contained 323 authorised providers at the end of July, while TRM Labs identified 1,343 operating providers in the European Economic Area on July 1, including 281 with MiCA authorisation. The different figures reflect different methodologies, but point to a substantial number of providers operating without the new authorisation.

ESMA instructed unauthorised companies to stop accepting new EU customers, opening accounts and marketing their services, while allowing limited activity needed for an orderly withdrawal.

What Investors Should Check

MiCA introduces common requirements for areas such as governance, disclosures and safeguarding client assets, but it does not make crypto investments risk-free.

For Cyprus users, the key questions are which legal entity provides the service, what it is authorised to do and whether the website or contact details are genuine.

Requests to transfer assets urgently, pay recovery fees, reveal private keys or install remote-access software should be treated as red flags. MiCA may bring greater clarity to the market, but the transition has also created a new opportunity for criminals to exploit a very real regulatory change.