Health & well being
Living longer, more years in poor health
Life expectancy, healthy life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy, 1981-2004
The population of Great Britain has been living longer over the past 23 years, but the extra years have not necessarily been in good health or free from illness or disability. Life expectancy, healthy life expectancy (the expected years of life in good or fairly good health) and disability-free life expectancy (the expected years of life without a limiting illness or disability) all increased between 1981 and 2004 for both men and women, with life expectancy increasing at a faster rate than health expectancy.
Life expectancy is higher for women than for men. In 2004 the life expectancy at birth of women was 81.0 years compared with 76.6 years for men. However, life expectancy for men has been increasing faster than for women. There was an increase of 5.7 years in men’s life expectancy between 1981 and 2004. The corresponding increase for women was 4.2 years.
The gap in healthy life expectancy between men and women is smaller than for total life expectancy. In 2004, healthy life expectancy at birth was 68.0 years for men and 70.3 years for women, a gap of 2.3 years.
The gap in disability free life expectancy between men and women is also smaller than for total life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. In 2004, disability-free life expectancy at birth was 62.3 years for men and 64.0 years for women, a gap of 1.7 years.
The difference between life expectancy and health expectancy can be regarded as an estimate of the number of years a person can expect to live in poor health or with a limiting illness or disability. In 1981 the expected time men lived in poor health was 6.5 years. By 2004 this had risen to 8.6 years. However, comparing the trend since the introduction of new methodology in 2001, the time men are expected to spend in poor health decreased by 0.3 of a year by 2004. Women can expect to live longer in poor health than men. In 1981 the expected time women lived in poor health was 10.1 years, rising to 10.7 years in 2004. Since the introduction of revised methodology in 2001, the time women can expect to live in poor health increased by 0.2 of a year between 2001 and 2004.
The time men can expect to live with a limiting illness or disability has also increased between 1981 and 2004: 12.8 years in 1981 rising to 14.3 years in 2004. Since 2001 though, the time men can expect to live with a limiting illness or disability reduced by 1 year. The time women can expect to live with a limiting illness or disability has also increased between 1981 and 2004: 16.0 years in 1981 rising to 17.0 years in 2004. Since 2001 though, the time women can expect to live with a limiting illness or disability fell by 0.5 of a year.
Source: Government Actuary's Department for expectation of life data. ONS for healthy life expectancy data
Notes: The chart shows life expectancy (LE), healthy life expectancy (HLE) and disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) estimates based on a 3yr moving average plotted on the central year. HLE and DFLE data for '96, '98 and '00 are unavailable because the General Household Survey (GHS) was not carried out in '97 and '99.
HLE AND DFLE incorporate an adjustment to LE using information from survey sources for general health and limiting illness or disability to arrive at expected years of healthy life or life free from disability. A full description of the methodology and sources used in ONS' calculations of HLE and DFLE can be found in Health Statistics Quarterly 07, 26, 29. Health expectancy reports using the new method can be found in Health Statistics quarterly issues 29, 33 and 37.
The health status 'good' or 'fairly good' is taken from the response to the GHS question 'Over the last 12 mths would you say your health has on the whole been good, fairly good or not good?' This is hence a subjective measure and the meanings attached by respondents to the categories may have changed over time due to medical advances. The limiting long-standing illness status is also taken from the responses to the General Household Survey questions 'Do you have any long-standing illness, disability or infirmity? By long-standing, I mean anything that has troubled you over a period of time or is likely to affect you over a period of time? And if yes, 'Does this illness or disability/Do any of these illnesses or disabilities limit your activities in any way?'
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