New ONS figures from 2020 to 2022 on life expectancy have evidenced a “clear geographical divide” between local communities in the north and the south of the country.

Areas in southern England dominate the latest list for the highest life expectancy at birth, making up the entire top 10 for both males and females as areas in the North East hold some of the lowest.

In the region, the lowest average life expectancy from 2020 to 2022 can be found in Middlesbrough at 75.4 years for men and 79.48 for women whilst the highest is 77.9 in North Tyneside for men and 82.1 for women.

Most local areas have also seen a fall in estimated life expectancy at birth for men and women including Darlington, Stockton, County Durham, and Sunderland, with the reduction driven by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In Darlington, life expectancy for men has fallen from 78.7 in 2019 to 77.2 in just five years, whilst for women the average has reduced slightly from 81.8 to 81.3.

The full list of figures has been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Headline figures for the nation reveal for a baby born in 2020 to 2022 the highest male life expectancy was highest in Hart in Hampshire, at 83.7 years, followed by Uttlesford in Essex (82.7 years).

Blackpool in Lancashire had the lowest male life expectancy (73.4 years), followed by Manchester (74.8 years), Hull (75.0 years) and Blackburn with Darwen in Lancashire (75.2 years).

Female life expectancy was highest in the London borough of Kensington & Chelsea, at 86.3 years, ahead of Hart at 86.1 years.

Blaenau Gwent in Wales had the lowest female life expectancy, at 78.9 years, followed by Blackpool (79.0 years).

There was a gap of more than a decade between the local areas with the highest and lowest male life expectancy, and more than seven years between the top and bottom areas for female life expectancy.

Julie Stanborough, ONS deputy director of health and life events, said: “Although life expectancy has fallen across all regions and constituent countries, there is a clear geographical divide when it comes to areas with the best and worst outcomes.

“None of the 10 local areas with the highest life expectancy were located in the north of England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

“By contrast, of the 10 local areas with the lowest life expectancy, none were in the south of England.”

The decrease in life expectancy during 2020 to 2022 has been “predominantly driven by the coronavirus pandemic”, which led to “increased mortality in 2020 and 2021”, she added.

Some 238 local areas across England, Wales and Northern Ireland (70% of the total) experienced a fall in male life expectancy at birth over the decade to 2020-2022, while 211 areas (62%) recorded a drop in female life expectancy.

But a fall in life expectancy does not mean that a baby born between 2020 and 2022 will go on to live a shorter life than one born in earlier periods.

The average lifespan of a person is determined by changes in mortality rates across their lifetime, meaning that if rates improve, life expectancy will go back up, the ONS said.

Veena Raleigh, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund charity, which works to improve health and care in England, said the data showed “the yawning gap in life expectancy between some of the most and least deprived areas of England”.

While inequalities were widening before the pandemic, they have widened further due to “the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on people living in deprived areas”, she added.

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“Differences in life expectancy are driven by socio-economic inequalities, including levels of income, education, housing and employment, with people in more deprived areas having significantly shorter lives on average than people in less deprived areas.

“Bold strategies for reducing deadly risk factors such as smoking and obesity, earlier diagnosis and treatment of ill-health and a cross-government strategy for tackling the determinants of ill-health in poor communities should be top priorities – because behind these statistics are the devastating impacts they have on individuals, families, communities and society at large.”

The local area in England that saw the biggest drop in life expectancy for males between 2011-13 and 2020-22 is Boston in Lincolnshire (down 2.1 years), followed by Thurrock in Essex and Barnsley in South Yorkshire (both down 1.9 years).