U.K. Wealth Divide Under Spotlight as Life-Expectancy Gap Grows

(Bloomberg) -- Life expectancy in Britain has stopped improving at the rate predicted before 2011, and the outlook has worsened significantly for women in the most deprived areas of the country, figures published Wednesday show.

Men in the poorest parts of England can expect to live to 74, compared with 83.3 for those in the most affluent areas, the Office for National Statistics said. For women, the gap is slightly narrower -- 78.7 years versus 86.2 years.

However, there was a significant increase in inequality in life expectancy between 2012-14 and 2015-17. The shift was most pronounced among women, with the expected life span for those in the most deprived areas falling by almost 100 days. By contrast, the figure for women in the least deprived parts rose by 84 days. A similar pattern was seen in Wales.

The findings will fuel the debate over wealth disparities in the U.K., an issue that both Prime Minister Theresa May and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn have pledged to redress after years of austerity and meager income growth.

Data earlier this month showed that inequality in disposable income, as measured by the Gini coefficient, rose to 32.5 percent in the fiscal year ended in 2018, the largest increase since 2013. The poorest fifth of the population saw its average income fall by 1.6 percent as benefits shrank, while the richest fifth enjoyed a 4.7 percent gain as they received higher wages.

Further work will be carried out to analyze the factors contributing to the rise in life-expectancy inequality, including the impact of deprivation, said Ben Humberstone, deputy director for health analysis and life events at the statistics bureau.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andrew Atkinson in London at a.atkinson@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Fergal O'Brien at fobrien@bloomberg.net, Brian Swint, David Goodman

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