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Europeans have added more than a year to their average life in five years: from 76.7 years in 2010 to 77.8 years in 2015, according to the data. This latter number is likely to change as not all countries have reported data.
"We see this in virtually every country" in the region, she added, but "we do not see it the same way in all countries".
Women in the region also live 6.6 years longer than men, with an average of 81.2 and 74.6 years, respectively.
But Stein remains concerned that health risks, such as the high prevalence of overweight and smoking in the region, could dampen or even reverse these gains in some countries.
"And it's important not to forget them, because they might one day mean we're no longer the area where life is the longest," Stein said.
"The world champions to drink"
According to the report published every three years, Europe has exceeded its target of reducing premature deaths from cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases by 1.5% per year until 2020.
According to the report, smokers account for one-third of Europeans over the age of 15, and alcohol consumption rates, while decreasing, remain among the highest in the world.
"We still have – and it's a very unfortunate record – very high rates of alcohol consumption," Stein said. "We are fundamentally the world's champions in the consumption of alcohol."
Stein also worries about "measles outbreaks in several countries.The children died of a disease that we hoped to be eliminated soon".
Some countries have had problems keeping vaccines in stock, as in Ukraine because of civil unrest, Stein said. On the other hand, the impact of "deniers" who do not vaccinate their children, she added.
Stein noted, "It's something we've seen improvement in recent years, but not enough".
"We are getting bigger"
"And when we look at children, we see trends that are really, really alarming," said Stein.
"When I was a kid, we had a kid in the class who was maybe chubby," but now, it's almost half in some countries, Stein said.
"As a region, we grow up."
The Mediterranean diet is generally characterized by high consumption of plant foods and olive oil; moderate consumption of fish and poultry; low intake of dairy products, red meats and sweets; and a moderate intake of wine, according to the WHO.
"There are changes in the food system – more artificial foods, more processed foods, foods containing additives, salt, sugar, et cetera – and that's a problem worldwide, "said Bruce Y. Lee, executive director of the Johns Hopkins Global Center for Prevention of Obesity, who did not participate in the WHO reports.
Experts also linked dietary changes with income and poverty in some countries.
"At a time when childhood obesity has increased, there has been a disproportionate increase among low-income neighborhoods and low-income populations," Lee said. "Many low-income people have poor access to healthy food, because if you think about it, living well can be expensive."
Stein said that the increase in obesity is a "global problem", but that countries can encourage healthy and active living with good health information, laws and taxes, such as sugar tax "of the United Kingdom.
"There is not a single intervention you could say … it was the magic solution," she said.
Stein added that many of the health trends described in the new report are the sum of many factors, including cultural differences and men's willingness to seek health care, which will be addressed in future reports. She said Europe is unique among WHO regions in going beyond numbers to try to understand why some places are healthier.
"People are people, they have a culture, they have opinions, they have concepts," said Stein. "And we have to make sure that we understand that … when we really want to improve the well-being of the people."
Susan Scutti, Katia Hetter and Mark Lieber of CNN contributed to this report.
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