LIFE expectancy for the most deprived men in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is nearly seven years lower than the most well-off in the area, new figures show.

Data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows across 2020 and 2021, the average life expectancy for men in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole stood at 79.6 years.

But men from the wealthiest fifth of the area’s population can expect to live to 82.6 years, 6.9 years more than the least well-off males.

Deaths due to circulatory issues were the main reason behind lower life expectancy for the area’s poorer men over 2020 and 2021, reducing their expected life span by 1.6 years.

Meanwhile, average life expectancy for women in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole was 83.3 years in 2020 and 2021, with the least deprived women expected to live 6.4 years longer than those from the area’s poorer communities.

David Finch, assistant director at the Health Foundation, a charity working to tackle health inequalities said: "There are staggering differences in life chances in the UK depending on where people live.

"Prior to the pandemic, improvements in health had stalled while inequalities had widened.

"This includes major variation in healthy life expectancy between different areas of the country but also within local areas – sometimes between places that are just a few miles from one another."

While there were stark differences in life expectancy within Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, the expected life span for men in the area was above the national average of 78.7 years.