Regional Statistics Newsletter

Do you know how your region is doing within the European Union? Check the teaser for the Eurostat Regional Yearbook package on Instagram.

In 2021, just over one quarter (26%) of the EU population aged 16–74 years reported above-basic overall digital skills. Across 26 of the 27 EU countries, the highest share of people with above-basic overall digital skills was registered for those living in cities.

The EU gender gap for median equivalised net income was close to 5% during the last decade. In 2021, considering the differences in the degree of urbanisation, the EU gender gap for net income was narrower for people living in rural areas than for those living in cities: 4.0% against 4.8%.

In 2021, the life expectancy at birth in the EU was 80.1 years. In 2019, life expectancy at birth reached 81.3 years but then fell in 2020 to 80.4 (-0.9 years) and in 2021 decreased further (-0.3 years compared with 2020), probably as a result of the sudden increase in mortality because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the regions in the EU with the highest levels of life expectancy at birth were located in Spain, Italy and France.