Life Expectancy 2022-2024
Life Expectancy for Local Authorities, 2022-2024
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published the latest national and subnational life expectancy estimates for the UK, covering the three-year period 2022 to 2024. These publications show period life expectancy, which is the average number of years someone will live beyond their current age based on mortality rates during the period.
Milton Keynes
The latest ONS figures for 2022–2024 show continued improvement in life expectancy for both males and females in Milton Keynes when compared with the previous years (chart 1).
Chart 1: Life Expectancy male v female, 2010 to 2024
Source: Life expectancy for local areas of the UK – Office for National Statistics
Observations:
Life expectancy has improved for both males and females in 2022-2024 compared with the previous three-year period (2021–2023).
- Males LE: +0.3 years, rising from 79.9 to 80.2
- Females LE: +0.5 years, rising from 82.5 to 83.0
Improvement is slightly stronger than the equivalent national increases, suggesting Milton Keynes is recovering slightly faster than England as a whole.
Table 1. Milton Keynes life expectancy compared to England
| Sex | 2021-2023 (Eng) | 2022-2024 (Eng) | Change (Eng) |
| Male | 79.9 (79.1) | 80.2 (79.5) | +0.3 (+0.4) |
| Female | 82.5 (83.1) | 83.0 (83.3) | +0.5 (+0.2) |
Gender gap:
- 2021–2023: 79.9 – 82.5 = 2.6 years
- 2022–2024: 80.2 – 83.0 = 2.8 years
This shows a slight widening of the male–female life expectancy gap in Milton Keynes, this could be driven by proportionally faster improvement in female life expectancy.
Impact of COVID‑19:
Chart 1 illustrated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic with a visual drop for both sexes, highlighting the local impact of increased mortality.
- Life expectancy dipped in the 2019–2021 and 2020–2022 periods due to the pandemic.
- These declines reflect increases in mortality associated with COVID-19.
- The 2022–2024 figures show a recovery toward pre-pandemic levels; female life expectancy has nearly returned to its 2017–2019 peak (~83.3 years) and males have achieved a new high.
Post-pandemic – return to normal:
- Both sexes are showing upward trends, indicating recovery and stabilisation in mortality rates after the pandemic.
- Females appear to have improved and nearing its high of 83.3 years in 2017-19.
- Males have risen to 80.2 years in 2022-2024, representing a new high. This surpasses all previous periods in chart 1 and indicates a strong post-pandemic recovery.
Long-term perspective:
- Female life expectancy has recovered to near its previous peak (83.3 years in 2017-19), reaching 83 years in 2022-2024, showing a strong return towards pre-pandemic levels.
- Male life expectancy has now reached its highest level recorded across the last 14 years. This marks a significant recovery following the pandemic and male life expectancy above all previous years in chart 1.
Summary:
Milton Keynes has seen improvements in life expectancy for both males and females in 2022–2024. The male–female gap has slightly widened, and the impact of COVID-19 is diminishing. Female life expectancy has returned close to its previous peak (83.3 in 2017-2019), while males have reached a new high. Overall, Milton Keynes is recovering faster than England as a whole.
References
- Life expectancy for local areas of the UK: between 2001-2003 and 2022-2024. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/bulletins/lifeexpectancyforlocalareasoftheuk/between2001to2003and2022to2024
- Life expectancy at birth and at age 65 years by sex across local areas in the United Kingdom, between 2001 to 2003 and 2022 to 2024. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/dvc3435/fig02/index.html