Life expectancy set to soar over next 15 years

Researchers expect the average life expectancy for a woman to increase to nearly 90 by 2030.

A new study found men are also set to live longer than official estimates predict as the historic gender gap narrows.

But life span differences between better and worse off communities are likely to increase to levels that mirror those dividing Western and developing countries, researchers claim.

The study, based on Office for National Statistics data combined with advanced mathematical modelling, suggests that average life expectancy for women will rise from 83.3 in 2012 to 87.6 in 2030.

For men, it is predicted to increase from 79.5 to 85.7 over the same period.

The forecasts for 2030 are higher than those issued by the Office forNational Statistics by 2.4 years for men and one year for women.

But the upward trend masks significant regional differences, the research shows.

By 2030, people in affluent southern England and well-off districts of London are expected to be living more than eight years longer than those in northern urban centres such as Blackpool, Liverpool and Manchester, as well as South Wales.

That is equivalent to the difference in life expectancy between the UK and Sri Lanka or Vietnam.