Data shows gay and bi folk have shorter life expectancies

A new data analysis report from the Office for National Statistics shows that gay, lesbian and bisexual people typically have shorter life expectancies than straight people.

They found that gay and bisexual men lived an average of 1.2 years less than straight men, and lesbian and bisexual women lived 0.9 years less than straight women.

This is the first time the ONS has estimated life expectancy by sexual orientation in England and Wales, following the inclusion of sexual orientation in the 2021 census.

Read more: Study finds significantly higher drug and alcohol death rates among queer people

The ONS acknowledged that it is currently unable to determine whether sexual orientation is a factor in the difference in life expectancy.

This follows alarming figures released this week showing that one in six children who died by suicide in the UK between April 2019 and March 2025 was LGBTQ+.

The obtained value is Queer AF A Freedom of Information request to the National Child Mortality Database found that of the 647 children who died by suicide in that period, 107 were LGBTQ+, and 46 of them were transgender.

Readers affected by the issues raised in this article are encouraged to contact Samaritans free of charge on 116 123.www.samaritans.org) or Mind 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the United States are encouraged to contact: national suicide prevention line Call 1-800-273-8255.