On the basis of currently observed patterns of mortality by educational level, the number of deaths that can be attributed to health inequalities in the European Union (EU-25) as a whole is estimated to be 707 thousand per year (all figures apply to 2004). The number of life years lost due to these deaths is about million. Similarly, the number of prevalent cases of ill-health that can be attributed to health inequalities is estimated to be more than 33 million. The estimated impact of health inequalities on average life expectancy at birth in the EU-25 for men and.
