Men close gap with women on life expectancy
UK males can expect to live to the ripe old age of 85.7 in 2030, according to the latest longevity projections to be published by The Lancet medical journal.
This would be just 1.9 years behind the fairer sex, who would live to an average age of 87.6 in the third decade of the 21st century if the predictions bear out – a pronounced shortening of the 3.8 year gap between the sexes registered in 2012.
Converging lifespans will be a feature across the country but will vary from region to region, in some areas such as Berwick-upon-Tweed and Dartford the gap could be as little as a few months.
This is thought to arise from a merging of behaviours with men undertaking less physical work than in the recent past and women increasingly choosing unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking and drinking.
The report also found greater inequality however with the gap between the upper and lower one per cent of local authorities rising from 6.1 years for men and 5.6 years for women in 2012 to 8.3 years for both.
The latest figures are based on a more optimistic assessment of improvements in medicine than the Office for National Statistics and presume current trends will continue for the foreseeable future, resulting in a lifetime prediction that is 2.4 years greater for men and one year greater for women.