Healthy life expectancy
According to the Office for National Statistics, healthy life expectancy in the UK has fallen in the last decade. A baby born in the UK today can typically expect to spend roughly 61 years in good health, which is down from of around 63 or 64 a decade ago.
The Healthy Life Expectancies dataset covers data from 2011 to 2024 and shows that where you live can add two decades to your healthy years.
What is healthy life expectancy?
Healthy life expectancy (HLE) measures not just how long people live, but how many of those years they expect to spend in good health. It takes the emphasis from quantity to quality and focuses on the years lived without serious illness or disability that limits daily life. It is a more revealing indicator of national wellbeing than overall life expectancy, because living to 85 means little if the final two decades are spent in poor health or dependent on others.
UK Healthy Life Expectancy at Birth
| Period | Men (years) | Women (years) | Men (% of life healthy) | Women (% of life healthy) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 to 2013 | 62.7 | 63.7 | 79% | 77% |
| 2013 to 2015 | 63 | 63.9 | 80% | 77% |
| 2017 to 2019 | 62.9 | 63.5 | 79% | 76% |
| 2020 to 2022 | 62 | 62.4 | 79% | 76% |
| 2022 to 2024 | 60.7 | 60.9 | 77% | 73% |
By Nation 2022-24 (HLE at Birth)
| Nation | Men (years) | Women (years) | Change since 2013-15 (men) | Change since 2013-15 (women) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 60.9 | 61.3 | -2.3 | -2.9 |
| Northern Ireland | 60.8 | 60.7 | -0.4 | -1 |
| Scotland | 59.1 | 59.4 | -2.8 | -3.6 |
| Wales | 59.2 | 58.5 | -2.1 | -4 |
| United Kingdom | 60.7 | 60.9 | -2.3 | -3 |
HLE trends in the UK
In 2011–13, a newborn boy in the UK could expect 62.7 healthy years; or 63.7 for a newborn girl. By the middle of the decade, those figures had edged up slightly, to 63.0 and 63.9 respectively in 2013–15. But since then, the trend has moved in the wrong direction.
By 2022–24, healthy life expectancy at birth had fallen to 60.7 years for men and 60.9 years for women — a drop of 2.3 and 3.0 years respectively from the 2013–15 benchmark. The decline accelerated visibly after 2020, which is believed to reflect the direct and indirect health consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The proportion of life spent in good health has also slipped. Men now spend around 77% of their lives healthy, down from 80% at the peak. For women, the figure has fallen further, from 77% to 73%.
Healthy years by demographic
The healthy life expectancy rate and its decline varies within the four regions of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Wales and Scotland have both seen the steepest declines since 2013–15. Welsh women lost 4.0 years of healthy life expectancy over that period, the largest fall of any group among the four nations. Scottish women were close behind, losing 3.6 years.
The ONS data shows further discrepancies from one part of Britain to another.
Men in Orkney Islands had a healthy life expectancy of 72.9 years at birth in 2022–24, the highest of any area in the UK. Men in Blackpool had just 50.9 years. That’s a difference of 22 years between a Scottish island and a Lancashire town.
The pattern for women is broadly similar. Women in Orkney Islands can expect 74.1 healthy years, among the highest in Europe for a local area. Meanwhile, women in Merthyr Tydfil average just 50.1 years. This means less than two-thirds of a full life spent in good health.
Why is healthy life expectancy falling?
The UK is not alone in facing these pressures, with many comparable countries seeing similar patterns after 2020. However, the direction of travel in the UK had already been deteriorating before the pandemic arrived.
Researchers point to a range of factors. Rising rates of obesity, diabetes and general poor diet aligns with the trend for ultra processed foods. Also contributing are mental ill-health and deep-seated socioeconomic inequalities that determine access to good housing, diet, and healthcare.
Reversing this trend would require changes to lifestyle attitudes and access to good healthcare on a regional and national level.
