Life expectancy falls but men keep health for longer
LIFE expectancy in Derbyshire is diminishing.
Between 2001-2003 and 20112013, life expectancy at birth in the area steadily rose from 76.1 years to 79.4 years for men, and from 80.4 years to 83.1 years for women.
Since then it has fallen, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show. Total life expectancy was 79.3 years for men and 82.8 years for women in 2015-2017.
In Derby, for men, life expectancy rose from 75.9 years in 2001-2003 to 78.5 years in 2010-2012. The latest figure remains at 78.5 years.
For Derby women, life expectancy rose through the period, from 80.3 years in 2001-2003 to 82.7 years in 2013-2015 and has remained steady since then.
Derbyshire men have seen the number of years they can expect to enjoy good health rise from 62.9 in 2012-2014 to 63.4 years in 2015-2017. For women, it has fallen from 63.3 years to 62.2 over the same period.
The UK as a whole is seeing a similar pattern of stalling life expectancy. In 2015-2017, men in the UK had a life expectancy of 79.2 years at birth while women had a life expectancy of 82.9 years.
Women’s healthy life expectancy at birth in the UK has decreased by three months since 2009-2011, while healthy life expectancy for men rose by five months.
Asim Butt, senior research officer at the Office for National Statistics, said: “Overall, across the UK, females can expect to live a greater number of years in poor health than males, partly because female healthy life expectancy has slightly fallen while male healthy life expectancy has increased.
“At birth, males in the UK can whodunnit DEATH ON THE TYNE expect to live 16.5 years with a disability and females 20.9 years. However, it is important to note that periods of ill-health may not be experienced during the same point in a person’s life, and the majority of years lived with disability for most occur post-retirement.
“For example, a person may be seriously unwell but recover and remain healthy for a long period before becoming unwell again.”