London (PA Media/dpa) – People who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB+) have a lower life expectancy than those who identify as straight or heterosexual, new figures suggest. A 20-year-old LGB+ man in England and Wales can expect to live on average another 59.4 years, while a man of the same age identifying as heterosexual is likely to live for an additional 60.7 years – more than 12 months longer. There is a similar gap for females, though slightly smaller, with a 20-year-old LGB+ woman living on average a further 63.0 years, compared with 64.0 years for a heterosexual woman. It is the first time life expectancy by sexual orientation has been estimated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The data uses responses collected during the 2021 census, which included a voluntary question on sexual orientation for people aged 16 and over. These responses have been linked with death registrations in England and Wales to produce the new figures. As only people aged 16 and above were asked the sexual orientation question in the census, life expectancy has been estimated from age 20. The ONS said its findings are based on large samples with consistent patterns across age groups and previous research, but added it could not say from the analysis if sexual orientation is a “contributing risk factor” for shorter life expectancy. The data also suggests that life expectancy for 20-year-olds identifying as gay or lesbian is an additional 59.3 years for men and 62.8 years for women, lower than the equivalent figures for heterosexuals (60.7 and 64.0 years respectively). For those identifying as bisexual, the estimates are an additional 59.6 years for men and 62.9 years for women – again, lower than the figures for people identifying as straight. Greg Ceely, ONS head of population life events, said: “For the first time, we have looked at how life expectancy can differ by sexual orientation. “It shows people who identified as gay or lesbian had a slightly lower life expectancy than those identifying as straight or heterosexual. “Life expectancy can be impacted by a range of factors, so we can’t tell from this analysis whether sexual orientation is the driver of the difference seen.” The following information is not intended for publication dpa pa arw
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