People in the UK are spending fewer years in good health than a decade ago, prompting concern that the population's health is "going backwards," according to a new analysis by the Health Foundation thinktank. The sharp decline in Britain's healthy life expectancy, the amount of time someone spends free of illness or disability, is in stark contrast to recent improvements in most other wealthy nations globally.
Healthy Life Expectancy Falls
Healthy life expectancy for men in the UK has fallen from 62.9 years in the 2012-14 period to 60.7 years in 2022-24, and from 63.7 to 60.9 years for women over the same timeframe, the study found. This means the proportion of life a man spends in good health has dropped from 79% to 77%, and for a woman from 77% to 73%, according to analysis by the Office for National Statistics.
UK Lags Behind Comparable Nations
The UK population's health is poor, worsening, and failing to undergo the steady improvement seen in countries such as Japan, Norway, and Spain. The Health Foundation's analysis of healthy life expectancy across 21 countries revealed that the UK has fallen from 14th to 20th place in the international league table, with only the United States performing worse. Healthy life expectancy increased by an average of four-tenths of a year across the other 20 comparable countries.
"These findings reveal a stark truth – the UK's health is going backwards," said Dr Jennifer Dixon, the Health Foundation's chief executive. "The lights on the dashboard are flashing red. We are the most obese country in western Europe, mental ill health has surged to unprecedented levels, and more people than ever before are living with chronic health conditions."
Reasons Behind the Decline
The thinktank attributes the loss of two years of illness-free life to obesity, which is driving higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer, as well as high numbers of deaths caused by alcohol, drugs, and suicide. Worsening self-reported health and deep health inequalities between rich and poor are also key factors. Notably, neither the Covid-19 pandemic nor overall life expectancy, which remains stable, lie behind the decline. "This suggests that the UK's deterioration is not inevitable, but reflects country-specific factors," the analysis concluded.
Regional Inequalities
The UK has deep and widening inequalities in healthy life expectancy. It is highest in wealthy Richmond upon Thames, London, where the average man enjoys 69.3 years and the average woman 70.3 years in good health. In contrast, an average man in Blackpool gets just 50.9 years, and the average woman in Hartlepool only 51.2 years.
Government Response
Responding to the findings, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) described the population's declining health as a "disgrace." It highlighted the tobacco and vapes bill, set to receive royal assent this week, and the ban on junk food advertising before 9pm on television as evidence of its "radical" approach. A DHSC spokesperson said: "It is a disgrace that as a nation we became unhealthier over the last decade which is why we are committed to tackling health inequalities and building a healthier Britain."
The Health Foundation urged ministers to force food firms to make products healthier, introduce minimum unit pricing of alcohol in England as Scotland has done, and tackle drug-related harm. Dr Dixon added: "Successive governments, including the current one, have known this but failed to take the action needed. Turning the tide requires a new approach that goes far beyond patching up the NHS to tackling the root causes of poor health."
