The report stated the for the 2013-2015 triennial, the average life expectancy stood at 80.41 years with men making it through to 77.36 years and women around for an average of 83.23 years.

According to World Health Organisation data released last year, Portugal in 2015 experienced an average level of life expectancy running to 81.1 years that ranked the country 13th in the European table, level pegging with Finland and Belgium.

In turn, the National Institute of Statistics data shows that life expectancy is not only on the rise, up 2.69 years over the last decade but that the gap between the genders was also narrowing with men putting on an extra three years against 2.37 years for their female peers.

Correspondingly, over the period between the 2003-2005 triennial and the 2013-2015 triennial, the difference in life expectancy at birth between the two genders slid from 6.51 to 5.87 years.

The sheer pace of growth in life expectancy reflects in how in the last decade alone, life expectancy at the age of 65 stands at 19.19 years and thus living until 84.19 years on average with men clocking up 17.32 years (82.32) and women 20.67 years (85.67).