A new report has found British women have the second worst life expectancy among 15 European countries, alongside high death rates from cancer and diabetes.

The report by the World Health Organization (WHO) said that life expectancy for UK women born in 2011 stood at 82.7 years, with only women in Denmark expecting a shorter life.

According to WHO,  women in other western European countries including Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece can all expect to live longer than British women.

Premature deaths from heart disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases were higher among men and women in the UK than in several countries, including Switzerland, Spain, Norway, Malta, Italy, Finland, France and Cyprus, the study said.

Meanwhile, the UK had significantly higher rates of people being overweight (63.4%) and obese (28.1%), compared with a European average of 56.9% and 22.7%.

“The European region has the highest levels of alcohol consumption and tobacco use in the world, and ranks only slightly behind the region of the Americas – the WHO region with the highest prevalence – in rates of overweight and obesity," the report said.