The seaside town where locals are 'more likely to die' than anywhere else in UK

Last year, 581,000 deaths were registered across England and Wales, a national increase of 0.7 percent on 2022 figures.

Information from the data set published by The Office for National Statistics has been analysed alongside population records to determine the UK areas with the highest .

The investigation has revealed , the seaside town home to the famed Blackpool Pleasure Beach resort, has an additional 400 deaths per year above the national average of 955 per 100,000 people.

In 2023, Blackpool residents had a more than one in 100 chance of dying, with a total of 1,370 deaths recorded for every 100,000 locals.

The ONS uses 'age-standardised mortality rates' to compare areas with different population sizes and age demographics.

Last year, Blackpool had the highest age-standardised mortality rate in addition to the highest mortality rate among men (1,618 deaths per 100,000) and women (1,158 deaths per 100,000).

By comparison, Barnet in London had the lowest overall mortality rate in the country with 732 deaths per 100,000 members of the population, far below the national average.

Surrey Heath had the lowest rate for men at 851 deaths per 100,000 males, and Richmond upon Thames had the lowest death rate for women at 599.

Blackpool has a total estimated population of around 143,000, although this can triple in the summer months due to high levels of tourism in the seaside town.

The permanent population is aging as the town has a greater proportion of residents above the age of 65 in comparison with the national average.

The coastal community has experienced economic decline in recent decades due to a shift in tourism trends - as more people moved to holidays abroad, the potential for lucrative seasonal trade reduced.

However, Blackpool became a 'staycation' hotspot following the Covid-19 lockdown when restrictions were eased but many foreign travel limitations remained in place.

According to Blackpool Council, in 2022 the resort town welcomed a surge of 20 million visitors across the year.

The alarmingly high number of deaths recorded in Blackpool was followed by Blaenau Gwent in Wales, with 1,303 deaths recorded in the county per 100,000 people.

Manchester had the third highest mortality rate across England and Wales with 1,287 deaths per 100,000 people.

On a national level, the average mortality rate has declined slightly to 955 from 958 for every 100,000 recorded in 2022.

The mortality rate for England and Wales spiked in 2020 due to an increased number of deaths as a result of the . Records show 1,023 deaths were reported for every 100,000, although the figure fell back down to 983 by 2021.