Health Inequalities in England

England continues to experience deep and widening health inequalities, with stark differences in how long people live and the number of years they spend in good health. These inequalities reflect long‑standing social and economic injustices that shape people’s lives - including income, housing, education, employment, and the wider conditions in their communities.

There are two key measures of health inequality: Life expectancy - a measure of how long we can expect to live from birth - and healthy life expectancy - which tells us how many of those years we are expected to be in good health. The most recent data shows that both life expectancy and healthy life expectancy have stalled or declined for many groups, while socioeconomic and regional inequalities have grown over the past decade.

Life Expectancy and Healthy Life Expectancy

Life Expectancy Trends

Life expectancy in England has only partially recovered from the COVID‑19 pandemic and remains below long‑term expected levels. For 2022–24, males can expect to live 79.1 years and females 83.0 years, returning roughly to 2019 levels but still reflecting a longer‑term stagnation compared with the steady improvements seen before 2012.

Proportion of Life Spent in Good Health

Since the pre‑pandemic period, Healthy Life Expectancy at birth has declined by 1.8 years for men (to 60.7 years) and 2.5 years for women (to 60.9 years). This means people are living longer in poor health compared with previous years.

Regional Inequalities

Regional inequalities remain severe and entrenched. The North East has had the lowest healthy life expectancy in every period since the ONS time series began, highlighting significant structural and economic disadvantages across the region. These regional inequalities mirror wider patterns seen over the past decade, with communities in the North and Midlands disproportionately affected by poverty, insecure work, poor housing, and under‑investment.

The inequality between the healthiest and least healthy areas is growing:

In 2022-24, the difference in life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas was 10.7 years for men and 8.5 years for women. For healthy life expectancy, the gap was even larger at 14.7 years (men) and 15.8 years (women).

Healthy life expectancy fell in 83% of UK local areas for men and 88% for women compared with 2019–21, indicating a widespread and systemic decline.

Proportion of Life Spent in Good Health

England faces a worsening picture of health inequality. Despite partial recovery in life expectancy, healthy life expectancy has fallen to record lows, and gaps between regions and local areas are growing.

People in more deprived areas are living shorter lives overall and much longer periods in poor health, often decades earlier than counterparts in more affluent areas.

Conclusion

England faces a worsening picture of health inequality. Despite partial recovery in life expectancy, healthy life expectancy has fallen to record lows, and gaps between regions and local areas are growing.

People in more deprived areas are living:

• Shorter lives overall, and
• Much longer periods in poor health, often decades earlier than counterparts in more affluent areas.

Addressing these injustices requires:

• Sustained investment in communities
• Action on the social determinants of health
• A national strategy to reverse the deterioration in healthy life expectancy

Without decisive intervention, health inequalities in England will continue to widen.

Sources

Government Actuary's Department, Healthy life expectancy - Mortality Insights (2024)

Office for National Statistics, Healthy life expectancy, UK: between 2011 to 2013 and 2022 to 2024 (2026)

Office for Health Improvements and Disparities, Health Inequalities Dashboard