Period life expectancy by age and sex. Each life table is based on population estimates, births and deaths for a single year.

In 2022, the life expectancy at birth for women born in the UK was 82.57 years, compared with 78.57 years for men. By age 65 men had a life expectancy of 18.25 years, compared with 20.76 years for women.

Period life expectancy by age and sex for Great Britain. Each national life table is based on population estimates, births and deaths for a period of three consecutive years. Tables are published annually.

Life expectancy in the United Kingdom was below 39 years in the year 1765, and over the course of the next two and a half centuries, it is expected to have increased by more than double, to 81.1 by the year 2020. Although life expectancy has generally increased throughout the UK's history, there were several times where the rate deviated from its previous trajectory. These changes were the result of smallpox epidemics in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, new sanitary and medical advancements throughout time (such as compulsory vaccination), and the First world War and Spanish Flu epidemic in the 1910s.

Period life expectancy by age and sex for 1980 to 2023 for England, Wales (and combined), Scotland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and the UK. Each life table is based on population estimates, births and deaths for a single year.

Pivot table for healthy life expectancy by sex and area type, divided by three-year intervals starting from 2011 to 2013.

United Kingdom UK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Total data was reported at 80.956 Year in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 80.956 Year for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 75.380 Year from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 81.305 Year in 2014 and a record low of 70.827 Year in 1963. United Kingdom UK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.World Bank: Health Statistics. Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, or derived from male and female life expectancy at birth from sources such as: (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Life expectancy at birth and age 65 by sex and ward, London borough, region, 1999/03 - 2008/12.

The population data used is revised 2002-2010 ONS mid year estimates (MYE) - revised post 2011 Census. Revised population estimates by single year of age for wards can also be found on the ONS website for 2002-2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. These figures are consistent with the published revised mid-2002 to mid-2010 local authority estimates.

Rolling 5-year combined life expectancies are used for wards to reduce the effects of the variability in number of deaths in each year. The same method is applied to higher geographies to enable meaningful comparisons. However, 3-year combined expectancies are published separately on the Datastore for geographical areas that are local authority and above.

If the GLA publish revised 2002-2010 population data for wards then these life expectancy figures will also be revised to reflect them.

The ONS vital statistics mortality data breaks deaths into 10 year age bands. 5 year age band deaths were modelled using this data.

Vital Statistics: Population and Health Reference Tables are available on the ONS website here.

The tool for calculating life expectancy is available from Public Health England.
The highest age band in the calculator is currently 85+. If the tool is updated with a higher upper age band (ie 90+), this data will be revised to reflect this change.

Healthy life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy (1999-2003) at birth have been calculated for wards in England and Wales. These can be found on the ONS website.

This data is also presented in the GLA ward profiles.

Objectives:The current study aimed to generate the first life tables for the UK companion cat population overall as well as broken down by sex and breed status, and to quantify associations between traits such as sex, neuter status, breed status and bodyweight with mortality.Methods:Life table construction and modelling included data on 7,936 confirmed deaths in cats under primary veterinary care at clinics participating in the VetCompass Programme in 2019. The life tables were built for cats overall, for female and male cats, and for crossbred cats and purebred cats. Multivariable generalised linear regression models were generated to explore risk factors for shortened lifespan.Results:Life expectancy at age 0 for UK companion cats overall was 11.74 (95% CI: 11.61−11.87) years. The probability of death at each year interval increased with age from year interval 3−4, with the probability value not exceeding 0.05 before year 9. Female cats (12.51; 95% CI: 12.32−12.69) had 1.33-year longer life expectancy than male cats (11.18; 95% CI: 11.01−11.38) at age 0. Among 13 breeds (including crossbreed) analysed, Burmese and Birman had the longest life expectancy at year 0, showing 14.42 (95% CI: 12.91−15.93) and 14.39 (95% CI: 12.87−15.91), respectively. The Sphynx had the shortest life expectancy at year 0 among the breeds analysed at 6.68 (95% CI: 4.53−8.83). Being intact, purebred and non-ideal bodyweight were significantly linked to a decreased lifespan.Conclusions and relevance:The life tables presented here for pet cats in the UK overall, by sex and by crossbred and purebred can contribute to a better understanding of the life trajectory of cats, helping evidence-based decision-making for cat owners and the veterinary profession. We also provided updated life expectancy at age 0 of various cat breeds for 2019 and showed evidence of the association between non-ideal weight and a decreased lifespan.

In 2022 life expectancy for both males and females at birth fell when compared to 2021. Male life expectancy fell from 78.71 years to 78.57 years, and from 82.68 years to 82.57 years for women.

Presents life expectancies on a period and cohort basis. Data is provided by age and sex for the UK and its constituent countries.

Source agency: Office for National Statistics

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Projected Life Expectancy

Between 2021 and 2023, life expectancy for women in the United Kingdom was highest in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea, at 86.46 years, while for men it was highest in Hart, at 83.44.

These data contain lifetables derived from the ONS Longitudinal study dataset, and according to age, sex and individual socio-economic status measured with education, occupation or wage in England and Wales in 2011. Life table according to age, sex and individual’s education, or occupation or wage for the England & Wales population in 2011 The data contained in these files are aggregated data from the ONS Longitudinal Study (ONS LS). The ONS LS is a long-term census-based multi-cohort study. It uses four annual birthdates as random selection criteria, giving a 1% sample of the England and Wales population (10.1093/ije/dyy243). The initial sample was drawn from the 1971 Census, and study members’ census records have been linked every 10 years up to the 2011 Census. New members enter the study through birth or immigration, and existing members leave through death or emigration. Vital life events information (births, deaths and cancer registrations) are also linked to sample members’ records. File lifetab_2011_educ.csv Life table according to age, sex and education level for the England & Wales population in 2011 age x: attained age (years) from 20 to 100 sex: 2 categories: male (m) and female (f) educ: 6 categories of highest educational attainment: A: no qualifications; B: 1-4 GCSEs/O levels; C: 5+ GCSEs/O levels, D: Apprenticeships/Vocational qualifications, E: A/AS levels, F: Degree/Higher Degree mx: mortality rate for 1 person-year qx: annual probability of death ( = 1 - exp(-mx) ) ex: life-expectancy (years) File lifetab_2011_inc.csv Life table from age 20 onwards and according to age, sex and income level for the England & Wales population in 2011 age x: attained age (years) from 20 to 100 sex: 2 categories: male (m); female (f) inc: 5 categories of income: Least deprived; 4; 3; 2; Most deprived mx: mortality rate for 1 person-year qx: annual probability of death ( = 1 - exp(-mx) ) ex: life-expectancy (years) File lifetab_2011_occ.csv Life table from age 20 onwards and according to age, sex and occupation for the England & Wales population in 2011 age x: attained age (years) from 20 to 100 sex: 2 categories: male (m); female (f) occ: 3 categories of occupation: C: Technical/Routine; B: Intermediate; A: Managerial/Administrative/Professional mx: mortality rate for 1 person-year qx: annual probability of death ( = 1 - exp(-mx) ) ex: life-expectancy (years) File lifetab_2011_overall.csv Life table from age 20 onwards and according to age and sex for the England & Wales population in 2011 age x: attained age (years) from 20 to 100 sex: 2 categories: male (m); female (f) mx: mortality rate for 1 person-year qx: annual probability of death ( = 1 - exp(-mx) ) ex: life-expectancy (years) More details can be found in the following paper: Ingleby F, Woods L, Atherton I, Baker M, Elliss-Brookes L, Belot A. (2021). Describing socio-economic variation in life expectancy according to an individual's education, occupation and wage in England and Wales: An analysis of the ONS Longitudinal Study. SSM - Population Health, doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100815

In the UK, people who reside within more income-deprived areas live a shorter period of time after a diagnosis of cancer compared to people living in less income-deprived areas. At least part of these inequalities in cancer survival are due to inequalities in cancer care, even considering differential patient and tumour factors such as stage at diagnosis. The specific mechanisms by which area-based deprivation levels lead to poorer individual health outcomes within the context of a universal healthcare system, free at the point of use, are not well understood. These analyses will enable, for the first time, the examination of how an individual patient's socio-economic status is associated with poorer cancer survival in England, and will demonstrate how these associations might be modified by the level of deprivation in the small area within which the patient resides. Our aim is to perform an in-depth study of the association between the individual patient's deprivation and cancer survival, considering in particular how this is influenced by their socio-economic context, whether it varies over time since diagnosis and whether it has changed over calendar time. We will focus on three indicators of deprivation: income, education and occupation. We will first examine the correlation between individual and area deprivation, by each of these indicators, and then secondly describe the association between individual deprivation and survival. Third, we will assess whether the association between individual deprivation and patients' survival is modified by area deprivation; that is, whether equally deprived individuals in different areas fare better, or worse, according to the socio-economic context of the area within which they live. Finally we will gain the insights of patients, carers, and healthcare professionals on these data, and communicate these to cancer policy...

Following the publication of the period and cohort life expectancy tables ONS prepares databases for the UK and each of the constituent countries containing mortality data used in the calculation of historic and projected life tables. Published for the first time in this release are tables of historic and projected qx (probability of dying at each age) and lx values (numbers of people surviving at each age) for the UK, on a period and cohort basis for each year 1951 to 2060.

Source agency: Office for National Statistics

Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: qx and lx tables

In 2023, the average life expectancy of the world was 70 years for men and 75 years for women. The lowest life expectancies were found in Africa, while Oceania and Europe had the highest.

What is life expectancy?

Life expectancy is defined as a statistical measure of how long a person may live, based on demographic factors such as gender, current age, and most importantly the year of their birth. The most commonly used measure of life expectancy is life expectancy at birth or at age zero. The calculation is based on the assumption that mortality rates at each age were to remain constant in the future.

Life expectancy has changed drastically over time, especially during the past 200 years. In the early 20th century, the average life expectancy at birth in the developed world stood at 31 years. It has grown to an average of 70 and 75 years for males and females respectively, and is expected to keep on growing with advances in medical treatment and living standard continuing.

Highest and lowest life expectancy worldwide

Life expectancy still varies greatly between different regions and countries of the world. The biggest impact on life expectancy is the quality of public health, medical care, and diet. As of 2021, the countries with the highest life expectancy were Japan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and South Korea, all at 84 years. Most of the countries with the lowest life expectancy are mostly African countries. The ranking was led by the Chad, Nigeria, and Lesotho with 53 years.

As of 2023, the countries with the highest life expectancy included Switzerland, Japan, and Spain. As of that time, a new-born child in Switzerland could expect to live an average of 84.2 years. Around the world, females consistently have a higher average life expectancy than males, with females in Europe expected to live an average of six years longer than males on this continent. Increases in life expectancy The overall average life expectancy in OECD countries increased by 11.3 years from 1970 to 2019. The countries that saw the largest increases included Turkey, India, and South Korea. The life expectancy at birth in Turkey increased an astonishing 24.4 years over this period. The countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide as of 2022 were Chad, Lesotho, and Nigeria, where a newborn could be expected to live an average of 53 years. Life expectancy in the U.S. The life expectancy in the United States was 77.43 years as of 2022. Shockingly, the life expectancy in the United States has decreased in recent years, while it continues to increase in other similarly developed countries. The COVID-19 pandemic and increasing rates of suicide and drug overdose deaths from the opioid epidemic have been cited as reasons for this decrease.

Chart and table of U.K. life expectancy from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

For data sources see Table S1, Table S2, Table S3, , Table S5.