Girls in some parts of our region can only expect to live healthy lives until age 51, according to a new report. This compares with a UK average of over 60.
And in some areas boys are also slightly more likely to live a healthy life at 50, while the national average is around 61.
There are also huge differences within the West Midlands, where more affluent rural areas offer healthy life spans into the 60s, while urban areas are around 15 years less.
Nationally, the proportion of women in the UK who can expect to live a lifetime in good health has fallen by almost three years over the past decade, the figures show, while men have seen a fall of just over two years.
Girls born in 2022-2024 are likely to enjoy good general health for up to 60.9 years, according to new estimates from the . National Statistical Office (ons).
This is down from 63.4 years in 2019-21 and 63.7 years a decade ago in 2012-14.
Men have also seen a decline, although not as large, with the probability of good health for boys born in 2022-24 being 60.7 years, down from 62.4 years in 2019-21 and 62.9 years a decade ago.
