ANKARA

Life expectancy in many EU countries declined in 2020 after rising for decades, the bloc's statistical office said on Wednesday.

"The latest available data suggest that life expectancy stagnated or even declined in recent years in several EU Member States," Eurostat said in a statement.

Life expectancy has been on the rise in the EU since the 1960s, on average, by more than two years per decade, according to Eurostat.

The largest declines in 2020 were observed in Spain at minus 1.6% on an annual basis, followed by Bulgaria at minus 1.5% and Lithuania, Poland, Romania, at minus 1.4% each.

Denmark, Finland, and Norway are the only countries where data showed positive trends in life expectancy.