‘White lifestyles’ are reason why caucasian Brits are more likely to die from tobacco and alcohol-related diseases than ethnic groups, despite being more affluent, study reveals

White Brits are dying at higher rates than ethnic minorities because of their drinking and smoking habits, new figures have revealed.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), white Brits were dying in higher numbers then any other ethnic group in almost every town, city and village in the UK from March 2021 to May 2023.

People from Bangladeshi backgrounds in smaller towns and cities were the only exception to the rule.

For example, in London data suggested that 963 white Britons out of a group of 100,000 would die in a year.

In a group of 100,000 people of Pakistani heritage, who had the second highest mortality rate, 834 would die.

With smoking and drinking far more common among white Britons than among people from ethnic minority backgrounds, experts said the disparity can at least in part be blamed on this lifestyle (file image) 

For those of Chinese ethnicity, 612 out of 100,000 on average die in a year – more than a third fewer than white Brits.

Controls for differences in age and the absolute number of people in each ethnic group were put on the data, meaning mortality wasn’t higher simply because there are more white Brits in the UK.

With smoking and drinking far more common among white Brits than among people from ethnic minority backgrounds, experts said the disparity can at least in part be blamed on this lifestyle.

Veena Raleigh, an epidemiologist and senior fellow at the King’s Fund, told The Telegraph: ‘Broadly speaking we find that ethnic minority groups in the UK have lower mortality and therefore higher life expectancy than the white British population.

‘They have lower rates of smoking and alcohol consumption, so they have slightly better lifestyles.

‘For smoking, the rates are much lower in ethnic minority women, and in particular South Asian groups. So there is definitely a strong cultural factor there and also [in relation to] alcohol consumption.’

Ms Raleigh noted that people who migrate often tend to be ‘more healthy and fit’.

However, over time these differences fade and immigrants and descendants of immigrants eventually adopt lifestyles similar to white Brits.

Ms Raleigh said: ‘This is apparent in second generation, UK-born ethnic minority groups. People change their lifestyles over time. They may take up more smoking and so on.

The pattern of white people dying at higher rates in Britain goes back many years and was only disrupted during Covid when ethnic minorities died at a greater rate.

White people in Britain are dying at higher rates than ethnic minorities because of their drinking and smoking habits (file image) 

Ms Raleigh said: ‘The way you can unpick the mortality data is the white British tend to have higher mortality from several leading causes of death like cancer and dementia whereas ethnic minorities have much lower rates of death or cancer and dementia.’

Separate research has also found that people from Bangladeshi and Pakistani backgrounds die at higher rates from many individual conditions like diabetes, strokes and chronic kidney disease.

Despite higher smoking and drinking among White Brits being blamed for the disparity in mortality when compared with other ethnic groups overall data show both habits are on a general decline in the UK.

Other ONS data shows the percentage of Brits now smoking has fallen to about 12 per cent, a far cry from the 46 per cent recorded in the 70s. 

Separate World Health Organization data show the amount of pure alcohol the average Brit downs each year is now 9.75.

While still higher than estimates for the 60s the figure is a reduction of the peak of 11.41 recorded in 2004. 

Both drinking and smoking have been linked to an increased risk of multiple cancers as well as other serious health conditions such dementia.