Men's life expectancy soars

Life expectancy for men over 65 has jumped by more than 10 per cent, it emerged today.

By 2041 a man aged 65 can expect to live 20.9 more years than the previous estimate in 2001, a rise of 10.58 per cent.

For men over 80, the increase is 13.3 per cent to 10.2 years, according to new forecasts from the Government Actuary's Department, which is responsible for predicting demographic changes.

Experts said the surprise leap in life expectancy predictions, which follows dramatic improvements to the longevity of the elderly over the past decade, could cause serious problems for pension and healthcare systems by placing a far greater strain on them than previously expected.

The cost of healthcare and benefits for the elderly could rise by the same percentage as the increases in post-retirement lifetimes forecast in the Government Actuary's Department's regular biennial review, released quietly last month.

Professor James Vaupel of the Max Planck Institute for demographic research in Rostock, Germany, said state social security systems had not taken account of the improvements in longevity. He said: "The traditional method has been demonstrated to be too pessimistic."

Chris Curry of the Pension Policy Institute said a 10 per cent increase in life expectancy could mean a 10 per cent rise in the cost of pensions and other benefits for the elderly.

Kevin Wesbroom, principal consultant at Hewitt Bacon & Woodrow, said: "A lot of the improvement in mortality has caught people out. It is one of the major contributors to the pensions crisis."