Geneva  - Life expectancy in Eastern Europe is still trailing behind the rest of Europe and has improved only modestly in 50 years, according to information published Tuesday.

Eastern European men are likely to live on average 13.3 years less than their counterparts in northern, southern and western parts, stated the study compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The World Health Statistics 2008 said Eastern Europeans could expect to live 67.8 years in 2005 compared with 64.2 in 1950, a rise of just four years. Elsewhere in Europe the number of years lived on average had risen by 15 in the south, 11 in the west and about nine years in the north over the same period.

In most of Europe the rise in life expectancy was due to a decline in mortality through improved neo-natal care meaning fewer infant deaths, fewer traffic accidents and more people living longer.

"There is less of a decline in eastern Europe because of higher mortality particularly in young adults ..., especially in men," said the head of statistics for the WHO Dr Ties Boerma.

Meanwhile compared to the rest of the world, Europe as a whole had seen the smallest improvement. Life expectancy had risen on average by eight years compared with 27 years in Asia, 23 years in the Middle East, 21 years in Latin America, 14 years in Oceania and 11 in sub-Saharan Africa.

The study stated the stagnation was due to the "very slow pace of change" in some parts of continental Europe during the last 50 years. (dpa)