THE age people can expect to live to varies dramatically depending on where people live in, figures have shown.
Data shows which groups are estimated to have the highest and lowest life expectancy, based on gender, age and location between 2018 and 2020.
Figures have been given for areas in South Wales – Newport, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, Torfaen, Caerphilly and the Vale of Glamorgan as well as the whole of Wales, as averages.
The data
The Public Health Wales Observatory, together with the Office for National Statistics, released a report on life expectancies and mortality from 2018 to 2020.
The life expectancy (LE)** given in the following data is the average number of years more a person is expected to live from that age group. The data shows how many years they would be expected to live on top of the age given.
For example a woman aged 30-34 between 2018 to 2020 in Newport will live for another 33 years on average - reaching an age of approximately 66.
Dr Kirsty Little, consultant in Public Health, has said:
“This publication highlights an important shift in life expectancy and mortality trends in recent times.
“Life expectancy is an important indication of the overall health status of a population”.
Average healthy life expectancies for residents of the Vale of Glamorgan were higher than the Welsh average, according to this ONS data.
The results are in for average life expectancies in Wales
The average life expectancy for areas in South Wales have been given as well as the country’s average life expectancy.
To work out your own average healthy life expectancy in line with the data, your age should be added to the age range given.
A 30-year-old male living in Caerphilly has an average healthy life expectancy of 28 years, thereby estimated to live to 58.
According to this data, Monmouthshire residents will live the longest with 60 – 69 year olds potentially hitting the 79 age mark.
Males born in Monmouthshire between 2018 to 2020 will live to the age of 68 on average, while females will live to the age of 69.
A Monmouthshire County Council spokesperson said: “Tackling inequality is one of the clear priorities of the council. Monmouthshire and the other local authority areas in Gwent have committed to becoming a Marmot Region to address health inequalities.
"This is based on the work of Professor Sir Michael Marmot, who has researched health inequalities extensively over the past 40 years.
"We have worked with the Institute of Health Equity at University College London to understand the things that lead to these differences and will be working with public service partners throughout Gwent, as part of the Public Services Board, to address these and reduce the health inequalities that exist between and within our communities”.
Blaenau Gwent residents are listed as having the lowest life expectancies across the board, followed by Torfaen.
According to the data, a 30-year-old female in Blaenau Gwent is estimated to live to be around 59 and in Torfaen, she would be 58.
Why are average life expectancies lower for children born recently?
Across the board, children born in 2018 – 2020 are estimated to have a lower life expectancy than 60 to 69 year olds on the chart.
Why is that the case?
Dr Little, consultant in Public Health, said: “There are likely to be a number of important factors at play and explaining the recent trends will prove complicated."
Dr Little has mentioned that there could be a “link between austerity and worsening health and health inequalities is ‘entirely plausible” since 2010.
“We are committed to working alongside UK and international partners both to monitor the ongoing trends, and to further explore and clarify factors that may be driving the changes we have highlighted”.
This following graphic has been created using data from 2011 to 2020 (Source: Office for National Statistics). Viewers can see the healthy life expectancy at birth to age 65 years by sex, which can be filtered by local areas of Wales such as Newport.
Dr Kirsty Little, consultant in Public Health, said: “This publication highlights an important shift in life expectancy and mortality trends in recent times.
“Life expectancy is an important indication of the overall health status of a population.
“Worryingly, the publication also indicates that health inequalities may have increased in recent times too.
“There are likely to be a number of important factors at play and explaining the recent trends will prove complicated.
“We are committed to working alongside UK and international partners both to monitor the ongoing trends, and to further explore and clarify factors that may be driving the changes we have highlighted”.
** Note: only ‘healthy life expectancy’ data has been used. This is an estimate of lifetime spent in ‘very good’ or ‘good’ health based on how someone perceives their own health. The data does not take into account Disability-Free Life Expectancy (DFLE).
No other updates have been released since 2022 on the topic.
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