Latest life expectancy stats remain below pre-pandemic levels

New data from the ONS released this week shows that in 2021 to 2023, life expectancy at birth in England and Wales was 79 years for males and 83 years for females.  

This is 26 weeks lower for males and 13 weeks lower for females than it was for the 2017 to 2019 period before the pandemic. This is also the period during which life expectancy at birth in England and Wales reached its highest level (83.4 for women and 79.8 for men) before starting to decline.  

The current values for life expectancy at birth are up by 13 weeks for males and 11 weeks for females compared with 2020-22, although this period encompassed the pandemic when mortality rates were unusually high. In contrast, the new 2021-23 life expectancy data incorporates mortality rates from the tail-end of the pandemic.  

The data also shows significant regional variation with life expectancy at birth in 2021 to 2023 standing at 79.1 years for males and 83.0 years for females in England and 78.1 years for males and 82.0 years for females in Wales.  

Life expectancy at 65 years is 18.6 years for males and 21.1 years for females in England and Wales in the latest data - below pre-pandemic levels of 18.8 years for males and 21.2 years for females. 

“The latest life expectancy data for the country makes for sombre reading. While there is an increase compared to the 2020-22 life expectancy data, this is almost certainly the consequence of coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The fact that life expectancy is around half a year lower for men and around three months for women compared to before the pandemic means that the downward trend that started in 2017-19 is continuing and that we have not yet seen a post-pandemic correction.  

“The stats also reveal a regional inequality with men and women in England living a year longer on average than men and women in Wales. We will expect an even more dramatic picture of regional inequality to appear when more localised life expectancy statistics become available in the near future. Unfortunately, where you are born has a very strong bearing on how long you can expect to live because of the depth of regional inequality we have in this country. This needs to change.  

“There are many factors that are causing our nation’s failing health. We need to reduce the inequalities that result from economic, regional and ethnicity divides to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to age well. We also need to ensure that older people can continue to work for as long as they feel able to and want to, that no one lives in a home that harms their health and that we eradicate ageism from our society which we know has such a profound impact on people’s physical and mental health as well as the healthcare treatment they receive.”