Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Depiction of a Victorian slum
In 1850, life expectancy at birth was 42 in England and Wales, but for those who survived early childhood it rose to 57. Photograph: Heritage Images/Getty Images
In 1850, life expectancy at birth was 42 in England and Wales, but for those who survived early childhood it rose to 57. Photograph: Heritage Images/Getty Images

Misunderstanding life expectancy

This article is more than 4 years old
Mary Reid points out that average life expectancy is skewed by infant mortality

There is a common misunderstanding about life expectancy, as though it is the age at which most adults could expect to die.

In fact, the mean length of life can be heavily skewed by infant mortality. For example, in 1850 in England and Wales life expectancy at birth was 42, but over 25% of children died before the age of five. For those who survived, life expectancy rose to 57. Moreover, 10% of people born in 1850 lived to over 80.

While we do not have detailed figures for the iron age (Hilda the iron age druid reconstructed in wax, 15 August), it would not be so unusual for someone with a life expectancy of 31 at birth, who then manages to survive the dangers of childhood, to live to 60 or later.
Mary Reid
Chessington, London

Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters

Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition

Most viewed

Most viewed