A girl born over the three years to 2023 in North Somerset is likely to enjoy a shorter healthy life than those born a decade ago, new figures suggest.

Across England and Wales, healthy life expectancy has fallen while overall life expectancy has remained static, which the King's Find think tank called "an urgent problem".

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show a girl born between 2021 and 2023 in North Somerset is expected to enjoy 65.4 healthy years.

This is down from 67.1 years for girls born between 2020 and 2022, and below 66 years for those born between 2011 and 2013.

Across England, healthy life expectancy for newborn girls has fallen by two years in a decade, from 63.9 to 61.9 years.

Further ONS figures released last year show life expectancy nationally has remained relatively stable, meaning the proportion of a person's life expected to be spent in poor health has likely grown.

Dr Veenu Raleigh, senior fellow at the King's Fund, said the coronavirus pandemic means the UK’s life expectancy is "pretty much bottom of the pack" when compared to the rest of Europe, particularly for female life expectancy.

"That is because our health has not improved as much as in other countries," she added.

Barnsley in Yorkshire and The Humber had the lowest healthy life expectancy for women in England with 52.6 years, while Wokingham in the South East had the highest at 70.8.

Dr Raleigh said the national north/south divide was clear in the figures, and tackling the issue was important for public health, but also for the Government's economic growth plans.

She warned "deprivation, employment, environment and air pollution" are all challenges to be tackled.

"I think it’s both a human imperative to reduce these inequalities, but also an economic imperative," she said.

"We have increasing numbers of people of all ages not working due to ill health. To tackle it does need a significant increase in government strategy and investment, investing in public health, and also addressing the economic decline of some of these places."

The data also shows healthy life expectancy for boys born in North Somerset has increased slightly by 0.3 years over the last decade – to 65.5 years in 2021 to 2023.