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Men in Tower Hamlets have the shortest life expectancy in London according to official figures.
Tower Hamlets is last in all of London’s boroughs for male life expectancy, with men expected to live to 77 years and one month.
That’s over two years less than the London average of 79 and six months, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.
Men in Tower Hamlets are expected to live five years less than their counterparts in Harrow, which has the highest male life expectancy of all London’s boroughs at 82 years and one month.
Jim Fitzpatrick MP for Poplar and Limehouse said he was “not aware, but not surprised” in reaction to the data.
He said: “Deprivation and poverty have a huge effect on life expectancy. The Government are in charge of economic policy and are cutting support for the poorest in our society.”
But the figures are not much better for women in Tower Hamlets. The borough is in the bottom three for female life expectancy in London, at 82 years and two months, which is below the London average of 83 years and eight months.
This also means there is almost a four-year difference between the life expectancy of woman in Tower Hamlets and those in the highest ranked borough of Kensington and Chelsea at 86 years and four months.
A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council told EastLondonLines: “We are working hard to tackle the biggest health issues such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and tobacco use that have a huge impact on life expectancy.”
“Premature death rates are closely linked to poverty and deprivation – where Tower Hamlets scores highly – as well as lifestyle factors such as poor diet or smoking.”
How do the other EastLondonLines boroughs compare?
Hackney
Life expectancy for men and women in Hackney is below the average in London. Men are expected to live to 77 years and eight months, which ranks them 28 out of the 32 London boroughs. For women it is 82 years and seven months, ranking them joint 25th in London.
Lewisham
Life expectancy for men and women in Lewisham is below the average in London. Men are expected to live to 78 years and two months, which ranks them at 24 out of the 32 boroughs. For women it is 82 years and seven months, ranking them joint 25th in London.
Croydon
Life expectancy for men and women in Croydon is just below the average in London. Men are expected to live to 79 years and three months, which ranks them 15 out of the 32 boroughs. For women it is 83 years and two months, ranking them at 23 in London.
