Figures have revealed that the lowest life expectancy for men and women in the North East is in Middlesbrough as expectancy in areas including County Durham, Sunderland, and Stockton have seen a decline.

The average life expectancy for men in the North East is 77.2 whilst for women it is 81.2 as the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirm it is the lowest by region in the country. 

Broken down further into towns, Middlesbrough has the lowest life expectancy rates in the region with men at 75.4 and females at 79.5.

Elsewhere, 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.

Cumulative data from 2001 to 2022 illustrates the dwindling overall life expectancy in towns across the North East as many areas have seen a decline from 2019 onwards.

Male life expectancy can be seen to have declined in Redcar & Cleveland, County Durham, Sunderland and Stockton to name a few as many areas fall below the average expectancy for men in England at 78.9 years.

For women in the region, the second lowest life expectancy is in Hartlepool at 80.8 years, which still falls short of England's average for women at 82.8 years. 

Nationally, 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).

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).

According to analysts, this latest data release reveals that "stalling improvement in life expectancy" has plateaued due to the effects of the pandemic.

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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.