Life expectancy rise for Britons as official figures show men and women can now expect to live for up to an extra seven weeks
- Lifespans of men went up by 7.4 weeks to reach 79.3 years between 2015, 2018
- For women, who traditionally live longer, went up by 4.6 weeks to hit 82.9 years
- But life expectancy has slowed down significantly since the turn of the century
The average life expectancy for men and women in Britain has risen in the past three years, official data revealed today.
Across the UK the lifespans of men went up by 7.4 weeks to reach 79.3 years between 2015 and 2018.
For women, who traditionally live longer, it went up by 4.6 weeks to hit 82.9 years, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Across the country the life spans of men went up by 7.4 weeks to reach 79.3 years between 2015 and 2018. For women, it went up by 4.6 weeks to hit 82.9 years (stock)
But life expectancy is actually improving at a slower rate compared to other wealthy countries and has slowed down significantly since the turn of the century.
The figures also revealed there is still a major gap in life expectancy and health between southern parts and the rest of the UK.
Men and women in London enjoy the longest lives out of any region. A boy born in the capital can expect to live to 80.7 years and a girl to 84.5.
By contrast, men and women in the North East live almost three years less on average.
The Scots, who have the lowest life expectancy in the UK, saw lifespans decrease rather than increase.
Men now live to 77.1 years, three weeks less than in 2015, and women to 81.1, 2.7 weeks shorter.
That is 3.6 years and 3.4 years less than a baby boy and girl born in London, respectively.
A spokesman for the ONS said: ‘There were reductions in the number of years lived in poorer states of health for both men and women at age 65 in Wales and England and for men in Northern Ireland.
‘The size of the life expectancy gain between 2013 and 2018 is small by historical standards, but in line with the observed pattern of stalling improvements since 2011.
‘A decade earlier, life expectancy was growing 6.5 times faster for males and 8.2 times faster for females.
‘There were no significant changes in Wales and Scotland. The size of London’s gain continued to be notably larger than any other region.’
The spokesman added: ‘There were reductions in the number of years lived in poorer states of health for both men and women at age 65 in Wales and England and for men in Northern Ireland.’
The ONS report showed that across the UK, male life expectancy has risen by 3.4 years since 2003, and female by 2.5 years.
The reason for improvements slowing is fiercely contested. Some believe funding cuts to NHS and social care may be fuelling the trend, as well as a rise in alcohol and drug-related deaths.
Life expectancy improvements since 2011 in England and Wales have stalled worse than the majority of other high-income countries. Here, the worst 10 for men (blue) and women (pink) are shown
Between 2011 and 2016, life expectancy in England and Wales improved by less than five weeks for women and fewer than five months for men.
This was the smallest improvement out of 20 of the world’s most wealthy countries, according to research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine last month.
The team behind the report believe the stalling is partly due to the financial crash of 2008.
They also point to cuts in health funding and a flu epidemic which claimed the lives of almost 44,000 extra people during in 2014 and 2015.
Their analysis showed death rates had risen in every age group except for young boys.
The risk of death in 25 to 50-year-old men and women is now 20 to 40 per cent higher than the average across the world’s 22 most wealthy countries.
Life expectancy in England and Wales is improving at a slower rate than in 20 other wealthy countries
Improvements in life expectancy in England and Wales are among the worst of all wealthy countries, research shows.
Experts believe funding cuts to NHS and social care may be fuelling the trend, as well as a rise in alcohol and drug-related deaths.
Between 2011 and 2016, life expectancy in England and Wales improved by less than five weeks for women and fewer than five months for men.
It means that the average boy lives to the age of 79, while girls tend to live until they are roughly 83.
Life expectancy improvements since 2011 in England and Wales have stalled worse than the majority of other high-income countries. Here, the worst 10 for men (blue) and women (pink) are shown
Only two countries had a smaller improvement for men, Iceland and the US – which has seen a spike in deaths amid an opioid epidemic. Iceland was the only nation with a poorer improvement for women.
The results reveal the current slowdown in England and Wales is the worst seen in 45 years.
The findings were revealed in the first international study to compare life expectancy and mortality rates from 1970 to 2016 across 22 wealthy countries.
These also included Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and countries in western Europe, such as France, Italy and Switzerland.
