Figures published by the European Commission show that Irish people die younger than other EU citizens.
For 2001, the average life expectancy for EU women was 81.4 years old, and 75.3 years for men.
For Irish women, the figure is 77.5 years old, and 73 for men.
French women live the longest, at 83 years, while Swedish men outlive other European Union males at 77.5 years.
The figures also reveal a 15% fall in marriages from 1980 to 2000, while the divorce rate rose 40% between 1980 and 2001.
Belgium had the highest divorce rate with 2.9 per 1,000 people, while Ireland and Italy had the lowest rate, with 0.7 divorces per 1,000.
The survey was compiled from information produced by the Eurostat statistics office and the Council of Europe.
