Why is French life expectancy increasing more slowly?

Life expectancy has progressed more slowly in France in recent years. Is this a temporary
phenomenon, or does it signal a new long-term pattern of change? Gilles Pison analyses this question and examines how trends in France compare with those observed in other developed countries.

The seasonal flu epidemics have been especially severe in recent years, but the slower increase in life expectancy may also signal a more long-term pattern of change. Cancers have become the leading cause of death in France, and cancer mortality is declining more slowly than mortality from cardiovascular diseases, which has fallen very quickly in recent decades, thereby contributing strongly to increased life expectancy.

Gilles Pison