Lower life expectancy for men on Wearside

Life expectancy for men in Sunderland is over three years lower than England as a whole, new figures show.

Data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows that the average life expectancy for men in the city stood at 75.6 in 2020 and 2021 – below the national average of 78.7.

The main contributor to this inequality for men in Sunderland was cancer – which caused 932 deaths over the two years and reduced life expectancy by 0.7 years on average

Average life expectancy for women in the area was 80.

David Finch, assistant director at the Health Foundation, a charity working to tackle health inequalities said: "There are staggering differences in life chances depending on where people live.

"Prior to the pandemic, improvements in health had stalled while inequalities had widened.”

Mr Finch continued: "We also see significant variation in how many people have long-term conditions, such as cancer and heart disease, between different areas – partly related to the varying conditions in which people are born, live and work." In Sunderland, men from the wealthiest fifth of the population can expect to live 9.4 years longer than the area's least well-off – with a difference of 9.6 years for women. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said tackling health disparities is a "priority" for the Government.

They added: “Later this year we will set out a white paper to reduce the gap in health outcomes between different places, so that people’s backgrounds do not dictate their prospects for a healthy life.”