Life expectancy has improved slightly for men and women at both birth and age 65 after many years of stagnation, latest ONS figures show.

Life expectancy at age 65 is up by about 3 months for both men and women, said ONS.

Average female life expectancy at birth rose from 83.2 years to 83.6 years and male life expectancy at birth rose from 79.6 years to 79.9 years.

The figures will reassure some that life expectancy is finally improving after a prolonged period of failing to do so.

In December the Office for National Statistics reported that the pace of improvement in life expectancy had slowed considerably in the last few years. It said there were also substantial regional gaps in ‘healthy’ life expectancy with differences of nearly 20 years between some regions in the UK.

Earlier this week SunLife issued figures suggesting many clients were over-estimating their life expectancy, some by several years.

Commenting on the rebound in life expectancy, Tom Selby, senior analyst at AJ Bell, said: “2019 saw the biggest jump in male and female life expectancy at birth since the start of the decade, with recent years characterised by a profound stagnation in longevity improvements.

“To put it another way, while people have still been living longer, the rate of increase has slowed to a near standstill since 2011. While it is hard to pinpoint and prove exactly why this has happened, many believe the trend has at least in part been influenced by austerity.

“Although the rise in life expectancy recorded in 2019 in England is clearly positive news, it is worth noting that mortality rates can be volatile and so there is no guarantee the wider UK will return to the rapid improvements in life span witnessed in previous decades.

“The coronavirus outbreak, for example, could yet affect average life expectancy this year and beyond – although the extent of any impact is unknown at this stage.”

He said average figures also tended to mask the “significant inequality” in life expectancies experienced in different parts of the UK.