Increases in life expectancy in the UK have stalled and the slowdown is one of the biggest among 20 of the world's leading economies, ONS data shows.

Rises in life expectancy dropped from 12.9 weeks per year for women from 2006 to 2011 to 1.2 weeks from 2011 to 2016, its report found.

This increase in life expectancy for women was the lowest of the 20 nations, while for men only the US was worse.

There was also a slowdown in other countries across Europe and Australia.

Throughout the 20th Century, the UK experienced steady improvements in life expectancy at birth.

This has been attributed to healthier habits among the population as it ages, such as reduced smoking rates and improvements in treating infectious illnesses and conditions such as heart disease.

But in recent years the progress has slowed.

The ONS's analysis found the slowdown in life-expectancy improvement in the UK was most pronounced in women, dropping by 90% from 12.9 weeks per year from 2006 to 2011 to 1.2 weeks from 2011 to 2012 - the biggest reduction in all of the countries it analysed.

For men, this was down 76% from 17.3 to 4.2 weeks.

As of 2016, a female baby born in the UK would on average be expected to live until 82.9, while a boy would be predicted to live until 79.2.