Huge gaps in life expectancy within Greater Manchester boroughs revealed

How long can you expect to live? Your postcode might give you some clues, according to the latest statistics.

Data sourced from Public Health England reveals average life expectancies in neighbourhoods across Greater Manchester.

And there are some stark and shocking disparities.

In some of the 10 local authorities that make up our city-region, those living in the neighbourhood with the shortest life expectancy can, on average, expect to die a whole decade before their compatriots in areas which fare best.

And in some places the disparity is as big as 17 years.

It comes shortly after it was reported that life expectancy had fallen for men in the UK, a rare occurrence which was attributed to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We’ve taken an in-depth look at the figures for Greater Manchester.

Manchester

For women there is a staggering 17-year gap between the life expectancies of 75.58 years for Belle Vue and West Gorton and 92.22 in Piccadilly and Ancoats.

Men in Harpurhey South and Monsall have the shortest life expectancy at 70.3 years, some 11 years shorter than the average of 81.5 years in East Didsbury.

Oldham

Oldham is the only place in Greater Manchester where the shortest neighbourhood life expectancy for men is below 70, at 69.89 years in Oldham Town North.

This is almost 14 years lower than the men in Royton East and Cowlishaw can expect to live.

For women there is a gap of nearly 13 years between Alexandra Park (76.26 years) and Greenfield and Uppermill (89 years).

Rochdale

The gap for both men and women across Rochdale is around a decade.

In both cases Hurstead and Smallbridge fares worst, with men expected to live 73.06 years and women 75.97 years.

The longest life expectancy in the borough is 84.85 years for women in Alkrington and 83.65 years for men in Hooley Bridge and Norden West.

Salford

In Salford there is a gap of around 11 years for men between Higher Broughton (71.65 years) and Worsley (82.03 years).

For women there is a gap of around a decade between Burton upon Irwell (76.05 years) and Swinton South and Pendlebury (86.19 years).

Stockport

In Stockport there are massive gaps in life expectancy across neighbourhoods for both men and women.

Women living in Brinnington, where the life expectancy is 75.15 years, can expect to die a full decade and a half before their more fortunate compatriots in Bramhall West, where it is 90.85 years.

And there is another large gap of almost 14 years between life expectancies for men in Central Stockport, Portwood and Shaw Heath (70.85 years) and Bramhall South and Woodford (84 years).

Tameside

The gaps in life expectancy in Tameside are just under a decade for women and just over 10 years for men.

For women the longest life expectancy is in Stalybridge South (84.72 years) and the shortest is in Ashton Central (75.49 years).

For men the neighbourhoods at the two ends of the data range are Stalybridge North, with a life expectancy of 73.48 years, and Dukinfield East and Hough Hill where it is 83.94 years.

Trafford

The gap in life expectancy in Trafford is similar to that in Tameside.

Women living in Partington, where it is 77.66 years, can expect lives just under a decade shorter than those in Hale, where it is 87.29 years.

For men the gap is around nine years between Partington (74.97 years) and Timperley North (83.76 years).

Wigan

There is also a gap of around a decade in life expectancies across the borough of Wigan.

Wigan East has the shortest life expectancy for both men (71.09 years) and women (76.49 years).

The best chances of living a long life are in Tyldesley South for women (86.6 years) and Astley, Blackmoor and Mosley Common for men (81.73 years).

Bolton

Life expectancy is unevenly distributed across Bolton, with a particularly large gap between neighbourhoods for men.

Men living in Central Bolton, who have a life expectancy of 70.82 years, can, shockingly, expect to die almost 14 years before those in Dunscar and Egerton (84.31 years).

The gap for women is 11 years between Breightmet North, which has a female life expectancy of 76.83 years, and Lostock and Ladybridge, where it is 87.87 years.

Bury

Men in Bury face an enormous life expectancy gap between neighbourhoods in the borough of almost 16 years.

The worst-faring neighbourhood is Radcliffe, where life expectancy is 70.72 years.

That is in stark contrast to the 86.02 years men in Sedgley Park can expect to reach.

For women the gap is almost 11 years between Radcliffe (75.8 years) and Summerseat (86.46 years).

What reaction has there been?

A Manchester councillor whose ward includes the neighbourhood with the lowest male life expectancy described the figures as “shocking” and said he would be raising the matter urgently with public health and political leaders.

Coun Pat Karney, who represents Harpurhey, said: “I will be taking up the shocking Harpurhey findings with the Leader of the council and the director of public health.

“We must have an urgent plan to tackle this health inequality. Harpurhey residents should not be dying before residents in the same city.”