Life expectancy (Males) - ICP Outcomes Framework - Birmingham and Solihull

This dataset presents life expectancy at birth for males, representing the average number of years a newborn baby boy would be expected to live if he experienced the age-specific mortality rates for a given area and time period throughout his life. Life expectancy is one of the most widely used summary measures of population health, providing a single figure that reflects the overall mortality experience of an area. It is an essential tool for understanding health inequalities, tracking progress over time, and informing local health and wellbeing strategies. It is important to understand what this measure does and does not represent. Life expectancy figures reflect the mortality experience of people living in an area during a specific time period — they are not a prediction of how long babies born today will actually live. This is because mortality rates are likely to change in the future, and many of those born in an area will live elsewhere for at least part of their lives. The figure should therefore be understood as a summary of current mortality conditions rather than a forecast of individual life outcomes. ## Rationale Male life expectancy varies considerably across geographic areas and population groups, and these differences are strongly associated with deprivation, access to healthcare, lifestyle factors, and the wider determinants of health. Monitoring life expectancy at a local level is fundamental to understanding health inequalities and identifying where targeted action is most needed. In Birmingham and similar urban areas, significant variation in life expectancy can exist between neighbouring wards, making local tracking of this indicator a vital component of place-based public health planning. ## Numerator The numerator is the number of deaths registered in the respective calendar years, sourced from Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Births and Mortality Extracts. These are used alongside age-specific population estimates to calculate age-specific mortality rates, which are then applied within a life table methodology to derive life expectancy. ## Denominator The denominator is derived from ONS Census 2021 population data, providing the population estimates by age and sex required to calculate the underlying mortality rates used in the life expectancy calculation. ## Caveats No specific data quality caveats have been recorded for this indicator. However, users should be aware that life expectancy estimates for smaller geographic areas are subject to greater statistical uncertainty, as they are based on smaller numbers of deaths. Year-on-year fluctuations at local level should be interpreted carefully, and three-year aggregated periods are typically used to produce more stable estimates. Life expectancy figures are also sensitive to changes in the underlying population denominators, particularly following census updates. ## External References Death registrations data is sourced from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), with population denominators drawn from Census 2021. The indicator is also available through the OHID Fingertips platform: * [OHID Fingertips – Life Expectancy (Males)] [Click here] to explore more from the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Partnerships Outcome Framework.