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 1.7 years for men (to 61.5 years) and 1.9 years for women (to 61.9 years).

Regional Inequalities

Regional inequalities remain severe and entrenched. For example, every local authority in the North East has life expectancy below the national average, 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 2020–22, 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 19.1 years (men) and 20.2 years (women).

Proportion of Life Spent in Good Health

People in the most deprived parts of England spend far less of their lives in good health:

• Men in the most deprived areas spend 70.4% of their life in good health, compared with 84.5% in the least deprived areas.
• For women, the figures are 65.1% and 81.5% respectively.

These differences reflect systemic inequalities, not individual choices.

Conclusion

England faces a widening health gap, with people in more deprived areas experiencing shorter lives, poorer health, and significantly higher exposure to preventable disease. Despite efforts to tackle inequalities, the latest data shows that progress has stalled and, in many areas, reversed. Reducing these injustices requires sustained investment in communities, action on the social determinants of health, and a renewed national commitment to a fairer and healthier society.

Sources

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

Office for National Statistics, Healthy life expectancy in England and Wales: between 2011 to 2013 and 2021 to 2023 (2024)

Office for Health Improvements and Disparities, Health Inequalities Dashboard