Death Rates and Life Expectancy:

• Death rate refers to the rate of deaths per 1000 of the population in the UK- sometimes referred to as crude mortality rate

• Life expectancy refers to the average length of time that somebody born in that year is expected to live

• These figures are often presented by geographical areas and can be linked to the level of deprivation in an area

Death Rates over time:

• UK deaths totalled 530,841 in 2019- a death rate of 8.8 deaths per 1000 of population

• The male death rate was 9.0 per 100, female 8.8 per 1000, with negligible difference between the number of male and female deaths for the first time since the mid-1980s

• The lowest death rate since 2014 but a steady decline since 1977 when it peaked at 12.1 per 1000

Life expectancy over time:

• ONS reported expected life for males at 80.3 years and females at 83.8 years in 2019

• Projected to reach 85.3 for males and 87.9 for females by 2050- the gap between male and female life expectancy has been closing in recent years

• Life expectancy for new-born baby boys was highest in Kensington and Chelsea (83.3 years) and lowest in Blackpool (74.7 years)

• For newborn baby girls, life expectancy was highest in Chiltern (86.7 years) and lowest in Middlesborough (79.8 years)

Why are people living longer:

• Advances in medicine

• Changes in lifestyles

• Changes to employment

• Higher standards of living

Advances in medicine:

• Creation of the NHS and the welfare state

• Research and development into medicines

• Greater use of technology in medical assessments- e.g. MRI scans, keyhole surgery

Changes in lifestyles:

• Healthier diets due to the availability of products from around the world

• More active lifestyles- growth of gym and personal fitness industry

• Greater awareness of illness and disease and taking preventative action

• Greater awareness around well-being and promotion of work-life balance

Changes to employment:

• Decline of traditional male jobs that increased wear and tear on men’s bodies

• Health and Safety legislation and employee health programmes

• Flexible working and career progression

• State bodies created to investigate conditions at work, e.g. Health and Safety Executive

Higher standards of living:

• Although in recent years there has been wage stagnation, there has been improvement in standards of living

• Estimated £2500 per annum spent by each UK household on health, fitness and diet

• More leisure and time spent with family

• Better housing- central heating, double glazing, less damp

Evaluations:

• North-South divide in terms of quality of life

• The majority of local areas in the bottom 50 with the lowest life expectancy at birth (68% of areas for boys and 70% for girls) were in the North East, the North West and Wales

• The top 50 local areas with the highest male life expectancy at birth were in the South East, East of England, South West, London and East Midlands only

• For females, the top 50 included in these regions and 1 each in the North West and Yorkshire and the The Humbler