Life expectancy in the southern part of the country falls south of the rest of Ireland

The life expectancy for women in the EU stood at 82.9 years, which was 5.7 years longer than that for men, who averaged 77.2 years, according to Eurostat. File picture

Living down south in Ireland will shave about six months off your average life expectancy compared to your eastern counterparts, while Madrid seems to have discovered the best secret to long life.

According to the latest figures from the European Commission's data analysis wing Eurostat, the the overall life expectancy at birth in the EU is just over 80 years.