British Women Live Shorter Lives Than Most Other Europeans theguardian.com

Women in the UK are living shorter lives on average than most of their counterparts in Europe, according to an analysis by Public Health England.

Spanish women have the highest life expectancy in Europe at birth, at 86.3 years in 2016. The average for the UK is 83, taking 17th place out of 28 EU nations. Men in the UK do better, in 10th place and with above-average life expectancy of 79.4, but men in Italy, the leading nation, can expect to live to 81.

The data, from Eurostat, is for the UK as a whole rather than its constituent countries, but is being published by PHE as part of its annual Health Profile for England. Data from the Global Burden of Disease study on premature death shows a similar picture.