Research finds rise in life expectancy gap between most and least deprived in Wales

New research has found that women in the most deprived areas of Wales can expect to live approximately six years less, with a life expectancy of 79 years, than those in the least deprived areas, where the life expectancy is 85 years. In men, there was a seven year gap between the most and least deprived areas, being 74 against 81 years.

The research concluded that life expectancy for women in the most deprived areas rose by 1.2 years between 2002 and 2018, but in the least deprived areas the increase was 2.53 years. For men in the most deprived areas, life expectancy rose by 1.97 years and in the least deprived areas it increased by 3.02 years.

Jonny Currie, lead author and primary care and public health doctor, said “The Covid-19 pandemic in Wales has highlighted significant historical inequalities in health between social groups – our study shows that even in the decade before Covid-19, the gap in life expectancy between the most and least deprived in our society was widening.

“Our analysis highlights crucial areas for action to consider as Wales recovers from the pandemic – both to build a fairer society for our population and one that is resilient to any future pandemics.”

Study co-author and consultant at Public Health Wales, Ciaran Humphries, said “Many conditions contribute to the gap in life expectancy between the least and most disadvantaged communities. This shows that we must look beyond simple medical explanations to the root causes and to the wider conditions in which people live.

“If we are to build back to a healthier, fairer Wales, we need to rethink how we can improve health. A healthy future means addressing wider determinants of health such as income, education, housing and good work, particularly for those communities facing disadvantage, many of whom have been affected disproportionately by the pandemic.”

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