Life Expectancy for Males Declines for the First Time in 40 Years
Written by, Ljubica Cvetkovska
Updated September, 24, 2021
Latest reports show since the coronavirus has taken its toll, male life expectancy has dropped for the first time in 40 years. A boy born between 2018 and 2020 will most likely live up to 79 years old. By contrast, in the 2017–2019 period, the average life expectancy in the UK at birth for males was 79.4.
This is the first time researchers have noticed a decline in male life expectancy, which they have analysed for non-overlapping periods since the 1980s.
On the other hand, the female life span remains the same, as a girl born between 2018 and 2020 is expected to live until 82.9 years, comparable to the 2015-17 time period.
From the ONS centre for ageing and demography, Pamela Cobb reported that even though life expectancy moved with a slow-moving speed, it has grown significantly in the past 40 years. But despite the increase, the ongoing pandemic had caused the mortality rates to surge in 2020.
She also stated that according to the latest calculations, life expectancy for women has not improved, whereas male life expectancy dropped back to the same positions as the ones in 2012-2014. Still, these figures don’t necessarily mean that a boy born between 2018 and 2020 will live a shorter life.
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