What is happening to life expectancy in the UK?
2010 marked a turning point in long-term mortality trends in the UK, with improvements tailing off after decades of steady decline. In this piece Veena Raleigh looks at how overall life expectancy has changed over time, along with considerations such as the difference in life expectancy between males and females, geographical inequalities, how the UK compares with other countries, and possible factors in the more recent slowdown in mortality improvements in the UK.
Mortality rates in England and Wales have declined steadily since the 19th century, leading to a long-term rise in life expectancy 1 for both males and females (Figure 1). Males born in 1841 could expect to live to only 40.2 years and females to 42.2 years, mainly because of high mortality rates in infancy and childhood.Read Full Article