The Life-Expectancy Gap Widens

Yet one more study that shows that if you are wealthy you will live a long rich life but if you are poor, you are going to die younger.

The life expectancy gap between England's richest and poorest neighbourhoods has widened since 2001, a report says. The report also found there had been a slowing down in the long-standing trend for improvement in mortality rates, for all groups since 2011, which it said could be linked to cuts to public spending in the NHS and social care sector.

On average, a boy born in one of the most affluent areas will outlive one born in one of the poorest by 8.4 years. That was up from 7.2 years in 2001, the Longevity Science Panel (LSP) found.

data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2015 divides England into 33,000 residential areas which are rated on a range of factors, such as income levels, health, education and crime.

It found that death rates for 60 to 89-year-olds had improved for all socio-economic groups between 2001 and 2015, but the biggest gains were recorded among the most well-off.

The result is that men and women in that age group, who were from the least advantaged fifth of the country, are now about 80% more likely than those from the most advantaged fifth to die in any given year, it said. In 2001 the higher chance of older people dying if they lived in a poor area, compared to a wealthy one, was lower at just 52% for men and 41% for women.

Dame Karen Dunnell, chair of the LSP, said: "Dying earlier if you are poor is the most unfair outcome of all..."

• Girls born in the top fifth of areas on average live 5.8 years longer than those born in the bottom 20% - up from a five-year gap in 2001
• For a 60-year-old man the difference is five years - up from 4.1 in 2001
• For women of the same age it is 4.2 years - up from 3.1

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-43058394