The northern Italian region of Liguria is the longest-living in the European Union, according to the latest figures from Italy's national statistics office. More than three of every 100,000 Liguria residents live to at least 105, Istat reports in its annual snapshot of the Italian population: 3.58 per 100,000.
That's compared to Italy's national rate of 1.80 per 100,000. The rate is higher in the north of Italy as a whole (2.03) and lowest in the centre (1.57). In total, Italy has 1,091 residents aged 105 and up, 951 of them female. Women make up the vast majority – 87.2 percent – of Italy's oldest residents.
