Women in the UK have one of the shortest life expectancies in western Europe, a new report has found.
The female life expectancy for those born in 2011 is 82.7 years, the World Health Organisation said, but the average across Europe was slightly lower at 80.3.
Denmark was the only country in western Europe where women were expected to have a slightly shorter life that those in the UK, with an expectancy of 82.1 years.
Females living in France, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece can all expect to live longer than British women – with Spanish woman expected to live the longest at 85.
Female life expectancy for those born in 2011
Andorra - 84.2
Austria - 84
Belgium - 83
Denmark - 82.1
Finland - 84
France - 85.4
Germany - 83.4
Italy - 85
Luxembourg - 83.9
Norway - 83.6
Portugal - 83.9
The Netherlands - 83.2
Spain - 85.5
Sweden - 83.7
Switzerland - 85
UK - 82.7
Across Europe average - 80.3
The World Health Organisation’s European Health Report 2015 also found premature deaths from heart disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases were higher among men and women in the UK than in several other European countries.
But despite this, men in the UK can expect to live as long as their European peers, where the average across the continent is 73.1 years.
The report said men born in the UK in 2011 could expect to live until they are 78.8 years old, while Switzerland and Italy had the longest life expectancies at 80.4 and 79.8 respectively.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: "It is deeply concerning that the UK is lagging behind almost all of the most developed nations in Europe in terms of average life expectancy for women.
Male life expectancy for those born in 2011
Andorra - 77,4
Austria - 78.4
Belgium - 77.5
Denmark - 78
Finland - 77.5
France - 78.4
Germany - 78.7
Italy - 79.8
Luxembourg - 79.2
Norway - 79.7
Portugal - 77.4
The Netherlands - 79.5
Spain - 79.4
Sweden - 79.7
Switzerland - 80.4
UK - 78.8
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"Even within England, women in the areas with the highest life expectancy live almost seven years longer than those with the lowest.
"Healthy behaviours, whatever your age, and effective care and support can help people have longer, healthier lives than ever before."
The report also found that the UK had significantly higher rates of people being overweight - 63.4 per cent – and obese – 28.1 per cent.
Across Europe, the average figures are 58.6 per cent and 23 per cent respectively.
The report added levels of alcohol consumption, tobacco use and the numbers of people who are overweight or obese, which are among the major risk factors for early death, "remain alarmingly high" across Europe.
