Brits have been warned they face a shorter life based on where they live after new figures revealed which areas see the most people die before age 60.
People in Blackpool are four times more likely to die before they turn 60 compared to residents of Hart in Hampshire.
Glasgow, Dundee and Middlesbrough are among the other parts of the country where lives are cut short the earliest, while London suburbs like Richmond upon Thames and Kensington and Chelsea see the most people live past 60.
The new research by Health Equals has prompted calls for the government to tackle the ‘postcode lottery’ and stop ‘preventable’ deaths.
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Metro has been exclusively provided with a full breakdown of how each area compares, which we have turned into an interactive map.
The analysis reveals that as a whole, one in 13 people die before turning 60 in the UK.
However, in Blackpool that figure is as high as one in seven, while for Glaswegians it is one in eight.
The outlook is also bleak for people in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, and Dundee, where one in eight are also dead by 60.
Areas where the highest number of people die by 60
Blackpool – 14.7%
Glasgow – 12.8%
Merthyr Tydfil – 12.7%
Dundee City – 12.6%
North Ayrshire – 12.5%
Middlesbrough – 12.3%
North Lanarkshire – 12.2%
East Ayrshire – 12.0%
West Dunbartonshire – 11/8%
Inverclyde – 11.7%
This rate contrasts dramatically with leafy towns and suburbs in southern England.
As few as 4% – just one in 25 – die before age 60 in Hart, Hampshire.
Uttlesford (one in 23) and Surrey Heath (one in 22) have the highest survival rates, alongside areas of London like Richmond upon Thames (one in 22) and Kensington and Chelsea (one in 21).
These figures were calculated using mortality rate data from the Office for National Statistics, monitoring deaths from 2022 to 2024.
Labour MP Allison Gardner, whose own constituency of Stoke-on-Trent has a one in 10 rate of deaths by 60, called on her party to act on the health inequalities.
She told Metro: ‘No one should face poorer health and a shorter life simply because of where they live.
‘This Labour government has pledged to raise the healthiest generation ever, through a cross-government health mission, and a shift to preventing us becoming ill.
‘We now need this to happen, with a clear strategy ensuring all government departments are working towards a healthier society. We have an opportunity to address the wider factors that shape health and ensure everyone has a fair chance of living a longer, healthier life.’
Areas where the fewest number of people die by 60
Hart – 4%
Uttlesford – 4.4%
Surrey Heath – 4.5%
Richmond upon Thames – 4.5%
Wokingham – 4.6%
Sevenoaks – 4.7%
Waverley – 4.7%
Winchester – 4.8%
Tandridge – 4.8%
Kensington and Chelsea – 4.8%
Paul McDonald, Director at Health Equals, said: ‘Your postcode shouldn’t determine your shelf life. But in the UK, it does.
‘Behind every statistic is a person, a family and a community experiencing loss that is often preventable. We should not accept a country where your chances of reaching 60 are so heavily influenced by where you live.
‘If governments want growth and opportunity in every postcode, they must also deliver the basics of good health in every postcode.’
The revelations come after a landmark report unveiled shocking inequalities faced by children depending on where they are brought up.
The report, by the Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza found that youngsters in Blackpool are 27 times more likely to miss school than those in Lambeth, south London, and 46 times more likely to be excluded than ones in Wiltshire.
In Richmond upon Thames, 70% of pupils get a good pass in English and Maths GCSE but just nearly 31% in Knowsley near Liverpool.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Someone’s postcode should never dictate how long they live, and this government is determined to tackle the stark inequalities that still exist in our country, and halving the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.
‘We’re already taking action, including delivering pioneering new Neighbourhood Health Centres in the areas that need them most, but we will now go further in devolving power to local communities, putting decision-making into the hands of those who know their areas best, and driving lasting change across the country.’
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