The latest ONS data showed life expectancy at birth for females for 2022-24 was at the same level that it was in 2017 to 2019 but for males it was still slightly lower.
Life expectancy at birth was 83.0 years for females and 79.1 years for males; up by 18 weeks from 82.7 years for females and 21 weeks from 78.7 years for males since 2019 to 2021.
Life expectancy at age 65 years was 21.2 years for females and 18.7 years for males; up by 17 weeks from 20.8 years for females and 21 weeks from 18.3 years for males since 2019 to 2021.
Jason Strelitz, assistant director (prevention) at The Health Foundation, said: ‘Life expectancy at birth has now recovered from the pandemic shock. The latest three-year estimates (2022–2024) show males at 79.1 years, just below the pre-pandemic peak of 79.3 years, and females at 83 years, back to their 2019 peak. However, progress has stalled compared with the steady gains seen before 2012. If that earlier trend had continued, men today would be living 3.6 years longer and women 2.6 years longer than current figures show.
‘This stalling of life expectancy reflects a long-term failure to improve the nation's health. Many national goals, including economic growth, depend on a healthy and thriving population. Comparable countries are doing much better than the UK, indicating significant room for improvement.
‘Regional inequalities remain stark. Every local authority in the North East is below the Great Britain average, while the highest life expectancies are concentrated in the South of England.
‘The Government has rightly committed to a shift from treatment to prevention. There have been significant steps forward, for example, with the child poverty strategy. But what is needed now is a clear set of targets to narrow the health gap backed by a cross-government strategy.
‘Improving health must be at the heart of decision making, ensuring resilience and wellbeing are embedded across policies. Only with decisive action will we build good health and ensure that inequalities don't become further entrenched.'
