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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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;

Graduated life tables which give statistics on national life expectancy for each constituent country of the UK. Published once every ten years.

Source agency: Office for National Statistics

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: DLT

This series has been discontinued.

Life expectancy at birth and age 65 by sex and ward, London borough, region, 1999/03 - 2010/14.

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 http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/vital-statistics--population-and-health-reference-tables/index.html">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.

National life tables, which are produced annually for the UK and its constituent countries, give statistics on period life expectancy by age and sex. Source agency: Office for National Statistics Designation: National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Interim Life Tables

United Kingdom UK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Female data was reported at 82.800 Year in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 82.800 Year for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 78.300 Year from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 83.200 Year in 2014 and a record low of 73.900 Year in 1963. United Kingdom UK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: 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. (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;

Presents historic and projected data from the period and cohort life tables including the expectation of life (ex) the probability of dying (qx) and the numbers surviving (lx). 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: Period and Cohort Life Tables

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.

United Kingdom UK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Male data was reported at 79.200 Year in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 79.200 Year for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 72.600 Year from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 79.500 Year in 2014 and a record low of 67.900 Year in 1963. United Kingdom UK: Life Expectancy at Birth: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: 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. (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;

National life tables, which are produced annually for the UK and its constituent countries, give statistics on period life expectancy by age and sex.

Source agency: Office for National Statistics

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Interim Life Tables

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