The divide in life expectancy between northern and southern England has widened over the past decade, according to new analysis. This trend means that residents in the North are disproportionately affected by early deaths from causes such as heart disease, cancer, suicide, and substance misuse.
Despite overall life longevity reaching record levels in England, with men averaging 80 years and women nearly 84 years, these improvements are not being shared equally across the country. A clear geographical disparity exists, with a three-year difference in life expectancy between London and the North East. At a more localized level, the disparity is even starker: life expectancy in Blackpool is ten years shorter for men and eight years shorter for women compared to Hart, Hampshire.
These findings reflect higher levels of deprivation in the North, according to the health think-tank the King's Fund, which authored the report. The organization suggests that the government's objective to increase healthy life expectancy for all in England appears 'unrealistic,' as achieving such targets would necessitate population health improvements on a scale not witnessed in recent decades.
The North, encompassing the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the Midlands, has consistently experienced the lowest life expectancy nationally. In the ten years leading up to 2023-25, there was little to no improvement in longevity for its residents. This contributes to the UK's overall life expectancy being among the lowest of comparable high-income countries, ranking below Germany and the United States.
In contrast, life expectancy in London, the South East, the South West, and the East of England has increased by nearly a year. The report also highlights significant figures concerning the number of years spent in good health. Healthy life expectancy has declined across England by 2.5 years between 2012-14 and 2022-24. During this period, men's healthy life expectancy dropped from 63.2 years to 60.9 years, and women's fell from 63.9 years to 61.3 years.
Data from 2022-24 indicates that men living in the least deprived 10 percent of areas in England can expect to live a decade longer than those in the most deprived areas. For women, this difference is eight years. The gap in healthy life expectancy is even more pronounced, reaching two decades.
Veena Raleigh of the King's Fund stated that the stagnation in longevity for people in northern and deprived communities over a decade is a 'mark of shame for an affluent country.'