Shocking figures show how many healthy years you can expect to live in Sunderland compared to other parts of UK
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show men and women born in Sunderland can expect an average to experience around 15 years less of healthy life years compared to some other parts of the UK.
The ONS has published its latest data for healthy life-expectancy.
The figures are different to life expectancy in that rather than showing the average age people die, healthy life-expectancy is the number of years of good health someone can expect to enjoy if they were born between 2022 and 2024.
The figures show a woman born in Sunderland can on average expect 56.3 healthy years compared to 74.1, 70.8, and 70.3 in the Orkney Islands, Shetlands Islands, and Richmond upon Thames respectively - the three parts of the UK with the highest healthy life expectancies.
Sunderland was also below some other North East locations including Gateshead, 58.4, Northumberland, 59.9, and Newcastle, 60.7.
It’s a similar story for males, with the Sunderland having an average healthy life expectancy of 56.4 compared to the three top ranked locations of the Orkney Islands 72.9 years, Richmond upon Thames 69.3, and Shetland Islands 68.3.
The male healthy life expectancy for Gateshead is 58, County Durham is 55.9, and Newcastle is 60.3.
The place with the lowest male healthy life expectancy is Blackpool (50.9) and for females it is Merthyr Tydfil (50.1).