Recent figures show that the long-term improvement in English and Welsh rate of mortality have seen a “significant slowdown” with questions being raised over the potential impact on the age of state pension.
According to the Office for National Statistics data, the rate at which life expectancy has improved has continually deteriorated since 2011. Over the five year period to 2016, a substantial increase in life expectancy has only been observed in 26 local authorities for men and 17 for women.
Ten years ago, the respective number of local authorities stood at 203 and 128, indicating the significance of the slowdown over recent years.
There is an ongoing debate over the causes behind the latest results, with the ONS questioning whether, in the long-term, they represent a “blip” or a more significant shift in direction.
Commenting on the figures and the possible consequences this could have on the policy around the state pension age was Helen Morrisey. The personal finance specialist at Royal London stated: “These figures add further fuel to the idea that the increases in longevity we have seen for so many years are beginning to slow down and if this trend continues there will be major implications for policy around state pension age for instance.
“We have seen steep increases in state pension age in recent years and only last year the government accepted the results of a review which suggested bringing forward state pension age to 68 by 2039 – seven years earlier than currently legislated for. If the trends suggested by these figures continue, the government could find itself having to push back a previously announced increase in state pension age.
“The ONS does say that these latest figures are in part affected by flu and cold spells, which is obviously not a solid basis for long term policy making. However, if the figures repeatedly show that something has changed then policy makers need to do more to understand the underlying drivers and their implication for policy making going forward.”
