Flemish Brabant has Belgium's highest life expectancy

The average person in Belgium can expect to live to 81, with people in Flanders typically outliving their Walloon neighbours by about two years.

New figures from official statistics body Statbel show life expectancy in Belgium rose slightly in 2017, up about a month to a new average lifespan of 81.4 years. Women averaged 83.7 years and men 79.

Belgian life expectancy has been above 80 since 2010 and has been gradually rising since, with the exception of a small one-off dip in 2015.

Statistically, the longest-living people in Belgium can be found in Flanders (82.2 years) and more specifically Flemish Brabant (82.4), closely followed by Limburg province (82).

Life expectancy in the Brussels region stands at 81.2 years. In Wallonia it's 79.8 - with Hainaut province scoring the worst, at 78.85 years.