UK Has Worst Life Expectancy in Western Europe: OECD

Crowds of shoppers are seen on Oxford Street in London on Dec. 2, 2020. Peter Summers/Getty Images

The UK has scored last in life expectancy, compared to Western European countries and the average European Union rate, a health report has found.

According to data published on Monday by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), those born in the UK have an average life expectancy of 80.9 years. This figure falls below the EU average of 81.5 years and ranks Britain last among Western European nations.

The latest ONS figures show the life expectancy at birth in England and Wales to be 79 years for men and 83 years for women. This represents a decrease of eight weeks for men and one week for women, compared to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period of 2018–2020.

During and after the COVID-19 pandemic the UK’s mortality rate increased, affecting life expectancy estimates for 2021 to 2023, the ONS said. In the same two-year period, Scotland recorded an increase in the average life expectancy, with rates of 80.8 years for women and 76.8 years for men.

The latest figures for Northern Ireland showed that women could expect to live 3.8 years longer than men, with life expectancy at 82.3 years, compared to 78.4 years for men.

The OECD said that Spain topped the European life expectancy list with a rate of 84 years, followed by Italy, Malta, Luxembourg, Sweden, and France. In all of these countries, people are expected to live longer than in the UK, with only 10 Eastern European nations falling behind, including Estonia, Croatia, and Poland.

The lowest rate of 75.8 years was recorded in Latvia and Bulgaria. In all EU countries, women continue to live live many years longer than men by 5.3 years on average.

Mortality Rates and Disease

A slowdown in the increase of life expectancy does not mean that people will go on liver a shorter life, the ONS said.

“Average lifespan is determined by changes in mortality rates across their lifetime, and if mortality rates improve, period life expectancy will go back up,” it added.

Last year, there were 581,363 deaths registered in England and Wales, an increase of 0.7 percent compared with 2022.

Advances in prevention and medical care led to a decrease in mortality rate from heart diseases by more than 75 percent in the last 40 years. However, in 2023, ischaemic heart diseases remained among the leading causes of death, accounting for 10.0 percent of all deaths.

The picture was similar in most EU countries, with cardiovascular diseases being the leading cause of mortality in 2021, accounting for 32 percent of all deaths.

Among other leading causes of death in Britain last year were dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, followed by such conditions as respiratory diseases and cancer.

Globally prevalent health risks include high blood pressure obesity, poor diet, and smoking. Findings from the New Global Burden of Disease study, released in May, predicted that these conditions will have the greatest impact on disease burden for the next generation.

With 64 percent of adults in England estimated to be overweight or living with obesity, the Food Foundation has warned that in many cases, these conditions are preventable, and called for a government-backed range of interventions.

The sentiment was echoed in the call by Action on Sugar, which on Tuesday said that the government must update its nutrition guidelines for schools to ensure children stay free from diet-related diseases.

Government measures to tackle obesity and high sugar intake include plans to increase the soft drinks levy to account for inflation. Ministers will also review the current sugar thresholds and the exemption for milk-based and milk substitute drinks.

Elsewhere, the government’s 10 Year Health Plan aims to focus on disease prevention. Announced in the October Budget, plans to restrict junk food advertising on TV and gradually end the sale of tobacco products across the country are meant to tackle obesity and create “the first smoke-free generation.”