UK falls down global ranks for life expectancy - how do we compare to other countries?

Over the past seven decades, the UK has performed worse than all G7 countries bar the US

The academics behind the research note that the UK has been on a downward trajectory for decades, attributing the rise in income inequalities both during and after the 1980s towards the declining averages (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)

The UK has dramatically fallen down the global ranking on life expectancy, fresh analysis shows.

According to research published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 70 years ago, the UK ranked 7^th globally enjoying one of the longest life expectancies in the world, following closely behind Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

But now, the UK rests at 29^th, with the average life expectancy for a woman born in England in 2022 at 83 years, with men at 79.4

Comparatively, one study found that Norway’s life expectancy rested at 80.9 years for men and 84.4 years for women. The number in Sweden was 83.18 years, marking a 0.18 per cent increase from 2021.

The research – worked on by academics from the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – examined global life expectancy ratings between 1952 and 2021.

Over the past seven decades, it concluded that the UK has performed worse than all G7 countries bar the US.

The academics behind the research note that the UK has been on a downward trajectory for decades, attributing the rise in income inequalities both during and after the 1980s towards the declining averages.

Life expectancy has increased overall since the study began, but countries similar to the UK have experienced even larger increases.

However, the research found varying increases in life expectancy between social groups, with those on low incomes typically not living as long as higher earners. Professor Martin McKee, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "That rise also saw an increase in the variation in life expectancy between different social groups.

"One reason why the overall increase in life expectancy has been so sluggish in the UK is that in recent years it has fallen for poorer groups."

Dr Niam noted that decreasing life expectancy was not just a health issue: it’s a political one, too. "In the short term, the government has an acute crisis to address”, he added.

"However, a relative worsening of population health is evidence that all is not well. "It has historically been an early sign of severe political and economic problems.

"This new analysis suggests that the problems the UK faces are deep-seated and raises serious questions about the path that this country is following".

According to the UN, the top 20 countries with the highest life expectancy in 2023 are:

1. Monaco: 87 years (median)

2. China, Hong Kong SAR: 85.8

3. China, Macao SAR: 85.5

4. Japan: 84.9

5. Liechtenstein: 84.8

6. Switzerland: 84.4

7. Singapore: 84.3

8. Italy: 84.2

9. Republic of Korea, Spain: 84.1

10. Malta: 83.8

11. Australia, Andorra, French Polynesia, Sweden: 83.7

12. San Marino: 83.6

13. Norway: 83.5

14. Martinique, Israel, France: 83.4

15. Guadeloupe: 83.3

16. New Zealand: 83.2

17. Canada, Gibraltar, Iceland: 83.0

18. Guernsey, Ireland: 82.9

19. Réunion: 82.8

20. Luxembourg: 82.7