Geographical and social circumstances linked to gaps in life expectancy

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released new data linking geographical and social circumstances to gaps in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy (HLE) in England.

Nearly twice as many people were found to die from causes considered preventable in the lowest HLE areas compared with the highest.

The ONS found that deprivation is not uniformly spread across the country. In fact, whilst the North represents 30 percent of the English population, it includes 50 percent of the poorest areas in the country.

The top HLE areas for the period 2013-15 were Rutland, Wokingham, Buckinghamshire, Richmond upon Thames, Oxfordshire, Windsor, Maidenhead and Harrow.

The lowest HLE areas for the same period were County Durham, Tameside, Blackpool, Hartlepool, Kingston-upon-Hull, Manchester and Tower Hamlets.