Life expectancy rising in Cyprus but birth rate dropping

Life expectancy in Cyprus is on the rise for both men and women, but the island is facing the problem of low birth rate, according to figures released by the Statistical Office of the European Communities ”Eurostat”.
Statistical data, published in conjunction with the International Women’s Day on 8 March 2007, shows that in Cyprus the life expectancy of women in 2005 was 81.7 years, with the average in the EU being 81.5 years. The highest live expectancy was for Spanish women with 83.9 years and the lowest for Romanian women with 75.4 years.
For men, the life expectancy in Cyprus was 77 years, with the average in the EU being 75.4 years. First were the men in Sweden with 78.4 years and last the men in Lithuania with 65.4 years.
The life expectancy is projected to increase over the following decades, to reach 85.1 years for women and 81.9 years for men by the years 2050.
Eurostat figures indicate that the fertility rate in Cyprus was 1.34 children per women, with the average in the EU being 1.51 children. The French have the most children with 1.92 per woman, followed by the Irish with 1.88.
Regarding the level of education of Europeans, it appears that 31.1% of women and 32.2% of men in Cyprus aged 25 to 59 had graduated from tertiary education by the year 2006. The average in the EU was 23.8% for women and 23.1% for men.
However, Cyprus appears to be lagging behind as regards computer skills, with 56% of women and 53% of men aged 16 to 74 reporting to have no relevant knowledge whatsoever. The EU average was 44% of women and 38% of men.