Key Summary
- The number of ‘healthy years’ has reduced in the UK.
- Reasons have been found to be poverty, poor housing, and lifestyle factors such as obesity.
- Residents in the wealthiest areas enjoy about 20 more healthy years than those in the poorest localities.
The number of years people in the UK lead a healthy life is falling, according to a new report.
Healthy life expectancy (HLE) has dropped by roughly two years over the last decade, now averaging just under 61 years for both genders.
Among the 21 wealthiest nations, five experienced HLE declines, with the UK showing the second-largest drop - behind only to the United States.
The Health Foundation's analysis points to poverty, inadequate housing, obesity, and Covid-19's lingering effects as major factors. It draws on Office for National Statistics data comparing 2012-2014 with 2022-2024.
Notably, residents in the top 10 percent wealthiest areas enjoy about 20 more healthy years than those in the bottom 10 percent.
In England, Richmond upon Thames leads with 69 years for men and 70 for women, while Blackpool scores 51 for men and Hartlepool 51 for women. London remains the sole region with HLE gains.
In over 90 percent of areas, HLE falls short of the state pension age (66-67), and in 10 percent it's under 55. This trend is straining workforce participation, explaining rising ill-health-related exits from employment.
The UK now ranks 20th out of 21 richest countries in HLE, with the US faring worse. HLE combines self-reported health surveys with mortality statistics.
The Health Foundation urged policymakers to take relevant action.
Andrew Mooney, the organisation's principal data analyst, said the UK has the highest levels of obesity in western Europe and there has been a surge in mental ill health, especially among young people."
This had created "a significant economic cost, with poor health driving people out of the workforce and locking young people out of education, employment and training", he added.
However, the overall life expectancy remained broadly stable.
Dr Layla McCay, policy director at the NHS Alliance, said: "The figures are a stark reminder of how deeply health inequalities are affecting people's lives, with too many communities in deprived areas spending more years in poor health.
"Our members have been clear that the answer has to be prevention first - tackling the wider determinants of health, strengthening community-based care and improving access to support closer to home."
