It’s good to be Maltese, if you’re a man

Life expectancy for men in Malta is approximately 77 years, which is slightly higher then the EU 27 average. They can expect to live on average 22 years after the age of 50 if they have no activity limitations. This is five years more then the median of 17 for the EU.

The percentage of 50-year-old men in Malta with a severe activity limitation is the lowest in Europe at 6.4%, which is well below the EU median of 14%.

However the life expectancy for these Maltese with a severe activity limitation is the lowest in the EU at approximately 2.5 years when compared to the median of approximately 3.9 years across Europe.

Maltese men still have the highest proportion of obesity when compared to the rest of the EU.

Cancer and circulatory system diseases remain the top underlying causes of death in men in Malta. Mortality rate for ischaemic heart disease is slightly above 150 deaths per 100,000 – which is above the EU27 average of approximately 110 deaths per 100,000.

Premature death due to heart disease and stroke compare well with the EU27 with the EU rate: deaths due to stroke are low amongst men in Malta ranked the 5thlowest amongst the 27 EU members.

Mortality due to cancer is low amongst men in Malta when compared to the EU, ranking 3rd lowest only higher then Finland and Sweden. Mortality rates due to prostate cancer and testicular cancer in Malta are the lowest in the EU. Deaths due to lung cancer are also far lower then the EU average at approximately 45 per 100,000 compared to 60 per 100,000. Malta has the 4thlowest mortality rate due to lung cancer in the EU.

On the other hand death due to colorectal cancer amongst men is higher than the EU at approximately 36 per 100,000 when compared to an average of approximately 24 per 100,000 in the EU. This rate is expected to decrease following the introduction of a national colorectal cancer screening programme.

The proportion of deaths amongst men due to diabetes in Malta is comparatively high, ranking Malta third highest amongst the EU27 member states. Approximately 3% of deaths in men are due to diabetes.

Deaths due to chronic lower respiratory diseases are also comparatively high at 35 per 100,000 compared to 29 per 100,000 in the EU 27.

Daily tobacco smoking amongst men in Malta is slightly lower than the EU median ranking Malta tenth at 26%. Alcohol consumption is also low compared to the EU with the proportion of men consuming alcohol in the past year below the EU median. Age standardised death rates due to chronic liver disease are also well below the median at 9 per 100,000 deaths compared to 20 per 100,000 deaths in the EU.