A shocking new report reveals that Brits have the lowest life expectancy in Western Europe.
The latest data shows that UK-born residents, on average, live to an age of 80.9 years. This is three years less than in some other European countries.
The UK average is six months less than the average life expectancy across the 27 countries in the European Union, which is 81.5 years. Worse still, the analysis from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that the UK was last among Western European countries.
UK life expectancies have fallen since the Covid-19 pandemic. Life expectancy in England and Wales is now 79 for men and 83 years for women, according to the most recent analysis of data between 2021-23 by the Office for National Statistics.
This means men’s life expectancy has fallen by six months and women’s by three months since 2017-19, which was the highest on record. Falling life expectancies in Britain have previously been blamed on the UK’s obesity epidemic and preventable illnesses, as well as the excess deaths seen during and after the pandemic, reported The Telegraph.
Now, the Health at a Glance: Europe 2024 report reveals that the UK is lagging behind much of Europe. The study shows that life expectancies in most other countries have recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
The report shows that Switzerland has the highest average life expectancy of 84.2 years. The Alpine nation is followed by Spain at 84 years and Italy at 83.8.
All three countries have life expectancies that are about three or more years longer than the UK – which ranked 21st out of 39 countries across Europe. The UK is also lagging behind the Nordic countries and the rest of western Europe – including France, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands.
The UK also has lower life expectancies than Malta, Cyprus, Greece, and Slovenia. Based on 2019 data, the lowest life expectancies were recorded in war-torn Ukraine and Moldova, at 73.4 and 73.3 years, respectively.
Among countries with data from 2022 or later, Georgia reported the lowest average life expectancy at 73.7 years. The analysis revealed that average life expectancy across the EU had risen by a year compared to the previous year, while the UK’s increased by six months. In last year’s OECD report, the UK’s average life expectancy of 80.4 years ranked below several other developed nations, including New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Israel.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are lagging behind our European neighbours in many areas of public health and the situation will not improve without radical action on all fronts. Our 10 Year Health Plan will shift the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention.
“We’ve already made a strong start by restricting junk food advertising on TV and online, and limiting school children’s access to fast food, while the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will tackle our biggest killer and put us on track to a smoke-free UK.”