Life expectancy increases to 81 years old - but north-south divide remains

New research shows that people in the UK are living longer - but major disparities exist across the regions as people live unhealthier lives

People in the south of England live on average three years longer than those in Scotland and Northern Ireland, according to new research.

Britons now live an average of 5.4 years longer than in 1990, with the average life expectancy across Britain of 81.3 years, compared to 75.9 years in 1990.

It brings the UK in line with other western nations, with people in the south and east of the country living healthier lives than those in Norway, Luxembourg or Spain.

However, the research, led by Public Health England and published in The Lancet, found deprived areas of the country suffered from poorer health.

Those in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the north of England did not enjoy the same health as those in the south.

While South East England had the best life expectancy, at 82.4 years, Scotland had the worst, at 79.1 years.

Scotland, as well as the north of England, trails countries such as Denmark and Greece - struggling from a higher disease burden.

In general, the UK's increase in life expectancy was due to falls in the death rate from cardiovascular disease, stroke and some cancers.

The amount of years lost due to ill health related to particular risk factors - including dietary risks, smoking and blood pressure - have fallen since 1990.

While these risks are still present in UK society, advances in healthcare have resulted in better treatment.

Disability-adjusted life years attributable to each risk factor in England
1990 2013
Dietary risks 2630000 1470000
Tobacco smoke 2380000 1459000
High body-mass index 1404000 1304000
High blood pressure 2474000 1070000
Alcohol and drug use 774000 789000
High total cholesterol 1226000 501000
Low physical activity 683000 396000
Occupational risks 317000 377000
Air pollution 644000 242000

The gains in life expectancy were greater for men than women - but women in general still enjoyed longer lives than men.

The figures showed that women had an average life expectancy of 83.2 years - compared to 79.5 years for men.

"Life expectancy is increasing across the country but large inequalities still remain"
Dr Adam Briggs

The University of Oxford's Dr Adam Briggs, co-author of the report, said: "Life expectancy is increasing across the country but large inequalities still remain. Life expectancy in 2013 for those living in the most deprived areas was still lower than those in less deprived areas enjoyed in 1990.

"How deprived you are is the key driver of these differences rather than where you live and therefore deprivation and its causes need to be tackled wherever they occur."