Most women and men will enter their pension years in a state of ill health, the Office for National Statistics has said.
Data from the ONS said that, between 2010 and 2012, Healthy Life Expectancy at birth in England was 63.4 years for males and 64.1 years for females.
As part of its data set, Lead Healthy Life Expectancy at birth for Upper Tier Local Authorities: England 2010-12, the ONS detailed how one’s postcode could also have an effect on how long someone is likely to live a healthy life in retirement.
According to the data, the West Midlands, North West, North East, and Yorkshire and The Humber all had significantly lower healthy life expectancies than the national average.
The inequality in healthy life expectancy between the North East and the South East for males and females was 6.4 years for males and seven years for females, with those in the North East less likely to live healthier lives for longer.
The ONS noted that women’s HLE on average is significantly lower than the state pension age of 65 in 68 authorities while for men it was significantly lower in 77 authorities. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) routinely publishes two types of health expectancies.
Healthy Life Expectancy estimates lifetime spent in very good or good health based on how individuals perceive their health. The second is Disability-Free Life Expectancy, which estimates lifetime free from a limiting persistent illness or disability. This is based upon a self-rated functional assessment of health.
Adviser view
Dean Mirfin, group director of national advisory firm Key Retirement Solutions, said: “Our experience is that more than 50 per cent of those at retirement, predominantly at age 65 for male and 60 for female, have some form of health or lifestyle condition, which leads to the offer of an enhanced annuity.
“For this reason, before anyone considers the best option for providing a retirement income, that the process commence while being fully underwritten.”
