Lifespan of the reckless Latvian men
Latvia has the second lowest life expectancy in the EU, according to the latest Eurostat data for 2023, and men seem to be the main culprits. While Latvian women at birth are expected to live up to 80.8 years, men lag behind by a full decade (70.8), dragging the nation's average down to 75.9 years.
This leaves Latvians behind their Baltic neighbours, as Estonians are expected to live almost three years longer. Among the many possible reasons for the gender gap, since 2013, another alarming indicator has put Latvian men among the top anti-leaders. Apparently, Latvian men lead some of the unhealthiest lives in the EU and therefore die younger than the rest, shows the average number of healthy life years by Eurostat.
About a century ago, between the two world wars, Latvians had one of the highest life expectancies, ahead of Eastern and Southern Europe, according to two Latvian historians. However, the Soviet regime, whose policies are seen as far less conducive to a healthy society, significantly slowed this process down.
Latvians seem to have inherited a stereotypical approach to masculinity and mental health, marinated under the dome of Soviet occupation, while the rhetoric of the ”weak and soft” Western man evolved. Now the freed ”reckless and strong” man undoubtedly has been dominating the Latvian statistics of deaths from external causes, including road accidents, drowning, self-harm, and freezing to death.