The Pfizer “Ageing Population” report into life expectancy in Europe, published 24 June, contains the following interesting information for Spaniards, some of which I hope applies to non-Spaniards living in Spain. (Information obtained via Business Wire).
1. Life expectancy is highest in Spain (82.31 years), lowest in Hungary (70.65 years).
2. The average European can expect to live in poor health for the last eight years of his/her life, with this figure rising to over 10 years in Poland, Spain.
3. The gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy (nice distinction!) is largest in Spain (11.71 years).
4. More people from Spain are smokers than any other European country, yet the mortality rates in Spain for cardiovascular disease (229 per 100,000) and respiratory diseases (60.8 per 100,000), are relatively low. Now that is interesting. CVD is the largest single cause of death in Europe, killing an average of 267 Europeans per 100,000 every year.

If you visit this site and scroll down about two-thirds of the page, you will discover what your hobby might be if you loved languages and walking in the woods. Lear Mundy was such a man. Lear Mundy, bless him, is my hero for today.
--------