Unit 2 Macro: A Widening Regional Divide in Life Expectancy

Life expectancy in the United Kingdom continues to improve. But one important aspect of the deep and structural divide in incomes, economic activity and status and health across different groups in Britain is the marked variation in average life expectancy for men and women. The UK Statistics Commission has just published new data on this covering the period 2004-2010 and finds that:

Life expectancy was highest in Kensington and Chelsea: Male life expectancy here rose from 83.0 years in 2004–06 to 85.1 years in 2008–10. Female life expectancy improved by 2.7 years from 87.1 years to 89.8 years.

Life expectancy was lowest in Glasgow City: In 2010, male life expectancy in this area was 71.6 years, female life expectancy in Glasgow City was 78.0 years in 2008–10. According to the Guardian, the figures for Glasgow are on a par with life expectancy in Albania and Palestine

For the UK as a whole, average life expectancy at birth now stands at 78.2 years for men and 82.3 years for women

You can find some animated charts on the changes in life expectancy by clicking on this link

The data itself would make for a lively discussion in the classroom about why such a wide gap exists and persists within a rich advanced economy.

To what extent are the figures influenced by

* Health behaviour (for example, alcohol consumption and smoking)
* Unemployment rates
* Relative poverty and deprivation
* Access to public services
* The different age-profile of a locality or region
* The effects on the figures of high rates of labour mobility