Rochdale has one of the lowest life expectancies in Greater Manchester

Photo: University of Manchester

Life on the line - differences in life expectancy across Greater Manchester

The Borough of Rochdale has one of the lowest life expectancies in Greater Manchester, according to research by the University of Manchester.

Researchers at the university mapped estimates of life expectancy and years lived healthily to the stops on the local tram network.

The journey from Timperley to Rochdale (one of the most economically deprived areas of Greater Manchester, where life expectancy is 69.4 years) can take around 75 minutes for a journey of 26 kilometres, but the difference in life expectancy between the areas is more than a decade – around a year for every seven minutes.

Dr Kingsley Purdam, part of the University’s Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing said the map highlighted the strong association between the economic deprivation level of an area and life expectancy.

He explained: “The routes of the tram network provide a way of engaging the public in the health story of Greater Manchester, by linking the tram stops and journey times with ward-level life expectancy estimates.

"The estimates are based on Office for National Statistics data on mortality. They are not the exact number of years a baby born in the ward could actually expect to live, death rates and health care provision are likely to change in the future, and many of those born in the ward will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives. However, the data does highlight the underlying inequalities in life expectancy.”

Places in Greater Manchester have the lowest and highest expectancy:

Lowest

Clayton Hall: Female 73, Male 67
Rochdale: Female 74, Male 66
Langworthy and Anchorage: Female 74, Male 69

Highest

Whitefield: Female 82, Male 78
Milnrow: Female 82, Male 75
Sale: Female 82, Male 74