BABY boys in the North East are expected to live several years less than those born in other areas of the UK, figures show.

Infants under one in the region have around three years less on their life expectancy, compared to young children living in parts of London and the South West, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In the study, the figures show that baby boys in the North East had the lowest life expectancy.

A baby boy was expected to live 77.6 years, compared with 80.6 years for baby boys in the South West – a gap of around three years.

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A baby girl was expected to live 81.5 years, compared with 84.3 years for baby girls in London – a difference of 2.8 years.

Elsewhere, life expectancy for babies was highest in the London boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea for girls, and Westminster for boys.

Baby boys in Glasgow City were expected to live 73.1 years – 11.6 fewer than those in Westminster, where life expectancy was 84.7 years.

In five other areas – Dundee City, Blackpool, West Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde and North Lanarkshire – the life expectancy gap was more than ten years.

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The gaps between the areas with the lowest and highest life expectancy have widened since 2015-17, according to the ONS.

During that period, the gap for boys was 9.8 years, when comparing estimates for babies in Glasgow City and Kensington & Chelsea, where life expectancy was then highest.

The gap for girls was 7.8 years, when comparing estimates for babies in the Glasgow City and Camden in North London.

Overall, a boy in the UK born between 2018 and 2020 is expected to live until he is 79.0 years old, down from 79.2 years for the period 2015-2017.

Estimates for females are broadly unchanged, with a baby girl born in 2018-20 likely to live for 82.9 years, the same as in 2015-17.

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