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UK plummets in global life expectancy rankings, new analysis says Researchers have found that 70 years ago the British had one of the longest life expectancies in the world, ranking seventh in the world behind countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark. In 2021, the UK was ranked 29th, according to the new analysis, which was published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Academics from the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have analyzed life expectancy ratings around the world from 1952 to 2021.
A relative deterioration in the health of the population is proof that not everything is going well. It has always been an early sign of serious political and economic trouble.
They found that, for seven decades, the UK has fared worse than every G7 country except the US.
While life expectancy has increased since the study began, similar countries have seen larger increases, experts said.
The authors said the fall in the ranks had been decades in the making, this includes a rise in income inequality in the UK during and after the 1980s.
Professor Martin McKee, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "This increase has also led to an increase in the variation in life expectancy between different social groups.
"One of the reasons why the overall increase in life expectancy has been so slow in the UK is that it has slowed down for the poorest groups in recent years."
Dr Lucinda Hiam, from the University of Oxford, said: "The ranking shows that the only country in the G7 that performs worse than the UK is the US."
On the current cost of living crisis, Dr. Hiam added: “In the short term, the government faces an acute crisis.
“However, a relative deterioration in the health of the population is proof that not everything is going well.
“It has always been a harbinger of serious political and economic trouble.
"This new analysis suggests that the problems facing the UK are deep-seated and raise serious questions about the path forward for this country."
PA wire
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