Spotlight
National life tables – life expectancy in the UK: 2017 to 2019
What's in the bulletin?
- Life expectancy at birth in the UK in 2017 to 2019 was 79.4 years for males and 83.1 years for females; slight improvements were observed from 2016 to 2018 of 6.3 weeks and 7.3 weeks for males and females respectively.
- The relatively low increases in life expectancy at birth in 2017 to 2019 suggest a continuation of a trend observed since 2011, where annual life expectancy improvements have slowed down in comparison with the previous decade.
- In comparison with selected Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for which data are available, England, Wales and Scotland have among the lowest annual improvements in life expectancy at birth for both males and females.
Past and projected period and cohort life tables, 2018-based, UK: 1981 to 2068
What's in the bulletin?
- Baby boys born in the UK in 2018 can expect to live on average to age 87.6 years and girls to age 90.2 years, taking into account projected changes in mortality patterns over their lifetime.
- In 25 years, cohort life expectancy at birth in the UK is projected to increase by 2.8 years to reach 90.4 years for boys and by 2.4 years to 92.6 years for girls born in 2043.
- People aged 65 years in the UK in 2018 can expect to live on average a further 19.9 years for males and 22.0 years for females, projected to rise to 22.2 years for males and 24.2 years for females in 2043.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) roundup
Catch up on the latest data and analysis related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on our economy and society.
Datasets related to Life expectancies
-
Life expectancy at birth and selected older ages
Annual data on life expectancy at birth and selected older ages for England, broken down by sex.
-
Expectation of life, low life expectancy variant, UK
Period and cohort expectation of life in the UK using the low life expectancy variant by single year of age 0 to 100.
-
Expectation of life, principal projection, UK
Period and cohort expectation of life in the UK using the principal projection by single year of age 0 to 100.
-
Life tables, principal projection, UK
Life tables for the UK, period and cohort, from the principal projection, single year of age 0 to 100. Historical data before 1961 are not national statistics.
-
Mortality rates (qx), principal projection, UK
Period and cohort mortality rates (qx) for the UK using the principal projection by single year of age 0 to 100.
-
National life tables: UK
Period life expectancy by age and sex for the UK. Each national life table is based on population estimates, births and deaths for a period of three consecutive years. Tables are published annually.
Publications related to Life expectancies
Statistical bulletins
-
National life tables – life expectancy in the UK: 2017 to 2019
Trends in period life expectancy, a measure of the average number of years people will live beyond their current age, analysed by age and sex for the UK and its constituent countries.
-
Past and projected period and cohort life tables, 2018-based, UK: 1981 to 2068
Life expectancy (eₓ), probability of dying (qₓ) and numbers surviving (lₓ) from the period and cohort life tables, past and projected, for the UK and constituent countries.
-
National life tables – life expectancy in the UK: 2017 to 2019
Trends in period life expectancy, a measure of the average number of years people will live beyond their current age, analysed by age and sex for the UK and its constituent countries.
-
Life Expectancy at Birth and at Age 65 by Local Areas in England and Wales: 2012 to 2014
Trends for England and Wales (national, regional and local areas) in the average number of years people will live beyond their current age measured by "period life expectancy".
-
Trend in life expectancy at birth and at age 65 by socio-economic position based on the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification, England and Wales: 1982—1986 to 2007—2011
Estimates of life expectancy by personal socioecnomic position using the national statistics socio-economic classification based on occupation.
Articles
-
Living longer: is age 70 the new age 65?
Measuring ageing in terms of remaining life expectancy, instead of years lived, may provide a better indicator of the health of our ageing population.
-
Changing trends in mortality: an international comparison
Analysis of period life expectancies and mortality in selected countries globally from 2000 to 2016.
-
Changing trends in mortality
Analysis of age-specific and age-standardised mortality rates for the UK, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from 1981 to 2016.
Looking for local statistics?
A handy guide to let you know where to find local statistics.