Nearly half the men living in the North West of England will not live to celebrate their 75th birthday, official figures show today.

The Office of National Statistics reported that men living in Manchester have only a 53 per cent chance of living until their mid-seventies, while those in Liverpool have a 56 per cent probability.

This compares with men in East Dorset and the Suffolk Coast having a 77 per cent chance of reaching 75, confirming a North-South divide in life expectancy across the country.

On average men had a 67 per cent chance of living until their mid-seventies while women had a 78 per cent chance, according to the study, that covered 2005-07.

Despite efforts by the Government to reduce healthcare inequalities, the ONS confirms that a regional difference in life expectancy remains, and is blamed on higher rates of obesity, smoking and alcohol abuse in poorer areas.

The top ten local authorities for probability of living to age 75 were in southern or eastern parts of England, with areas in the North and inner-city London dominating the tables for worst chances.

Men living in the South East and South West of England had a 71 per cent chance of living until age 75 while those living in the North West and North East of England had a 63 per cent chance of surviving until that age.

Among women, those in Blaenau Gwent (68.4 per cent) and Manchester (68.8 per cent) had the worst chances of living to 75 in 2005-07.

East Dorset was confirmed as the best place to live for longevity, with men having a 77 per cent and women a 85.9 per cent chance respectively of living to 75.

Men on the Suffolk Coast (77 per cent) or women in Kensington and Chelsea (85.6 per cent), were also likely to enjoy a long retirement, followed by people in Elmbridge, Surrey, Rutland, the Cotswolds and West Devon.

Overall, average life expectancy at birth in Britain has reached its highest level on record for both males and females. A newborn boy can now expect to live 77.2 years and a newborn girl 81.5 years if mortality rates remain the same as they were in 2005–07.

Between 1981 and 1983, men had only a 47 per cent chance of living to 75, but this rose to 70 per cent between 2005 and 2007. Meanwhile, the chance of women living to 75 rose from 66 per cent to 78 per cent.

The gap in mortality between professional and unskilled men has more than doubled since the 1930s, and the Government is likely to miss a target to reduce the gap in life expectancy between the best and worst parts of England by 10 per cent next year.

The Department of Health acknowledged last year that meeting this target would be “challenging” and has commissioned a review from Sir Michael Marmot, a Professor of Public Health at University College London, to set new “post-2010” aims for reducing health inequalities.

A Department of Health spokesman noted that life expectancy for both men and women in England was the highest it has ever been, “but there is still a wide variation across the country, which is unacceptable".

“We have put in place the most comprehensive programme ever in this country to address these inequalities, and our focus is on providing NHS and local authorities with the tools and support they need,” he added.

“Health inequalities is everybody’s business. We need to work together across government and as a society to tackle the causes of inequalities and not just the effects.”

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