9.7 healthy years after 65

Life expectancy at birth in Spain remains among the highest in the world –83.77 years in 2023–, but years lived in good health after turning 65 are reduced to 9.7a figure lower than that recorded in 2017 and 2019, when it reached 12.3.

This is what the report reveals A profile of older people in Spain 2025prepared by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) through its Department of Population, dependent on the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, which analyzes the conditions of life, health and well-being of the elderly in our country.

Aging and quality of life

“The aging process of the Spanish population raises a central question: not only how many years older people can expect to live, but how many of those years will be spent in good health“explains Julio Pérez, demographer at the Institute of Economics, Geography and Demography (IEGD-CSIC) and coordinator of the study.

In his opinion, this question “also has a public dimension, as it directly affects the planning health, social and care services“.

The report shows that More than half of those over 85 years of age suffer from chronic diseasesand a 10.9% of those over 65 years of age have serious limitations to carry out daily activities.

Life habits and prevention

Lifestyles have a decisive influence on health: 47.2% of men and 36.4% of women over 65 years of age are overweight. Furthermore, only 42.5% of people between 65 and 69 years old practice regular physical activity, while sedentary lifestyle It affects almost four in ten.

“He maintaining a healthy weightthe regular practice of physical exercise and the absence of tobacco consumption “are consolidated as the main prevention factors against chronic diseases and loss of functional autonomy,” says Diego Ramiro Fariñas, IEGD researcher and co-author of the report.

Although access to health services in Spain is high, the study warns of economic and geographical barriersespecially among those who live alone or in rural areas.

An increasingly aging Spain

Almost 10 million people (9,928,368) 65 years or older currently reside in Spain, which means the 20.4% of the total population. The proportion of people over 80 years of age already reaches 6.1%, and those over 90 exceed 650,000 peoplea phenomenon of overaging which will be accentuated with the arrival of the generations of the baby boom.

The projections of National Statistics Institute (INE) estimate that in 2045 the elderly population could exceed the 15.9 millionalmost the 30% of the total.

The average age of the Spanish population is located in 44.37 yearsconsolidating the country among the oldest in Europe. Furthermore, the feminization of old age remains a constant: women outnumber men among those over 65 by 29.5%.

In 2024, a new historical maximum of centenarianswith almost 16,000, of which more than 80% are women.

The report also highlights a growing phenomenon: more than half a million foreign seniors currently reside in Spain, which represents a 5.1% of the total. This trend confirms that our country continues to be an attractive destination for retirement and life in old age.