Link between life expectancy gap and house price rises

The gap in life expectancy between the richest and poorest areas of London has increased as house prices rise. Imperial College London tracked changes in life expectancy in thousands of areas between 2002 and 2019 and analysed these alongside data from the Land Registry. The study found that large gains in life expectancy occurred where house prices were already high, or in areas where house prices grew the most. But life expectancy inequality — the difference between the highest and lowest percentiles of the areas — increased substantially. The study said that areas where house prices grew the most saw an influx of “new, more educated and better-off” working age residents during the period. These areas also saw an “outflux of residents in retirement ages” as well as children, adolescents and young adults.

Evening Standard (20/01/2023)