New Analysis From The ONS Looking At How Life Expectancy In England And Wales Has Changed – Response From Independent Age

In response to new analysis from the ONS looking at how life expectancy in England and Wales has changed since the 19th century, Simon Bottery, Director of Policy and External Relations at Independent Age, the older people’s charity said:

“It’s great news that people are enjoying longer lives, with men and women expected to live for approximately another 20 years if they reach State Pension Age – for almost twice as long as older people who were first entitled to a State Pension over a century ago.  However it’s important to remember that these are just averages; there are still large differences in lifespan linked to inequalities. The ONS report shows that increases in lifespan have been driven by improvements in first public health like clean water and more recently by medical advances. It’s likely that future gains in lifespan will be driven by improving individual health such as reducing obesity, smoking and excess drinking.  But, whatever the cause, as life spans increase, so too will the pressures on our health, care and pensions systems, so we must continue improving public services if we are going to successfully adjust to an ageing society.”