The Labour Government has been told to “tread carefully” over future state pension age increases as life expectancy appears to be dropping, according to worrying new data.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed that healthy life expectancy in the UK has plummeted to its lowest point since tracking began in 2011-13.
According to the 2022-24 data, men can now anticipate spending 60.7 years in good general health, representing 77 per cent of their lives. Women fare slightly better at 60.9 years, though this accounts for just 73 per cent of their lifespan.
These numbers mark significant declines from the 2019-21 period, with males experiencing a drop of 1.8 years and females seeing an even steeper reduction of 2.5 years.
Labour are being urged to ‘tread carefully’ over future state pension age increases
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The deterioration comes despite modest improvements in overall life expectancy during the same timeframe, based on similar data from the ONS.
Over the years, the state pension has been gradually been raised on a variety of factors, including life expectancy and population figures.
State pension eligibility has already shifted upwards, with the retirement age threshold moving from 65 in 2018 to 66 in 2020.
Further increases are on the horizon, with the threshold set to climb to 67 for all Britons by 2028.
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The Government has commissioned Dr Suzy Morrissey to lead an independent review of state pension age, with additional rises anticipated to form part of her recommendations.
Stuart McDonald, the head of Longevity at LCP, described the statistics as evidence that Britain’s health remains damaged by Covid-19.
He shared: “Today’s figures confirm that the nation’s health has not yet recovered from the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“These numbers should be a wake-up call. The cost of ill health is rising. Increased investment in keeping people well for longer would be to the benefit of individuals, the NHS, the taxpayer and the economy.”
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LCP Partner Steve Webb cautioned that rising pension ages worldwide risk “creating a growing chasm of years in poor health before the state pension kicks in.”
The former pensions minister warned that benefit support for working-age people remains “very meagre” compared to pensioner rates.
He urged the Government to proceed carefully to avoid “condemning growing numbers of people to living on the breadline” before they qualify for their pension.
Mr Webb explained: ” The Government needs to tread very carefully in making further changes to state pension ages, to avoid the risk of condemning growing numbers of people to living on the breadline for years in the run-up to drawing a state pension.”