• Life expectancy in England at birth and age 65 increased for both men and women in 2019 after almost a decade of stagnation, official data published today reveals (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/lifeexpectancyatbirthandselectedolderages)
• Average female life expectancy at birth increased by almost 5 months, from 83.2 years to 83.6 years, while male life expectancy at birth rose from 79.6 years to 79.9 years
• Life expectancy at age 65 has also increased by around 3 months for men and women
• Life expectancy inequality could be a key political battleground, with the gap in male life expectancy at birth between Westminster (83.9 years) and Blackpool (74.5 years) a staggering 9.4 years (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/bulletins/healthstatelifeexpectanciesuk/2016to2018)
Tom Selby, senior analyst at AJ Bell, comments:
“2019 saw the biggest jump in male and female life expectancy at birth since the start of the decade, with recent years characterised by a profound stagnation in longevity improvements.
“To put it another way, while people have still been living longer, the rate of increase has slowed to a near standstill since 2011. While it is hard to pinpoint and prove exactly why this has happened, many believe the trend has at least in part been influenced by austerity.
“Although the rise in life expectancy recorded in 2019 in England is clearly positive news, it is worth noting that mortality rates can be volatile and so there is no guarantee the wider UK will return to the rapid improvements in life span witnessed in previous decades. The coronavirus outbreak, for example, could yet affect average life expectancy this year and beyond – although the extent of any impact is unknown at this stage.
“Average figures also tend to mask the significant inequality in life expectancies experienced in different parts of the UK. There is a near 10-year gap between the life expectancies of the poorest and richest parts of the country, a disparity which is likely to become a greater focus for retirement policy in the coming years as Boris Johnson attempts to ‘level up’ areas of the UK which have previously been neglected.
“Achieving such outcomes is easier said than done, although the state system could be reformed to boost those with lower life expectancies – for example by allowing people to access their state pension early.”
