Photographing Britain’s Life Expectancy Gap

"A man lucky enough to live in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea can expect to reach his 84th birthday; the area claims the longest average lifespan of anywhere in the United Kingdom. But boys born in Calton, a small residential community about two-thirds of a mile (1km) east of Glasgow’s city centre, may miss out on 30 years: the average male life expectancy there is just 54. That’s worse than in Pyongyang, North Korea, where male life expectancy is 71, or even in Iraq, where it’s 67. And although women fare better, the disparity is still high: a baby girl’s life expectancy in Calton is 75; in Kensington and Chelsea, 87."

Capturing this difference is the passion of East London based photographer Dougie Wallace who is known for his long-term social documentary projects. This series entitled Glasgow, Second City of The Empire garnered a 2nd place finish in the Portraiture category of the Sony World Photography Awards this year.


More: BBC