UK Healthy Life Expectancy Falls to 60.7 Years, Hitting Lowest Level Since 2011
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 12
UK Healthy Life Expectancy Falls to 60.7 Years, Hitting Lowest Level Since 2011
1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 12
Summary
ONS data show healthy life expectancy in 2022-24 fell to 60.7 years for men and 60.9 for women, down 1.8 and 2.5 years from 2019-21 and the lowest since records began in 2011.
More than 90% of UK areas now have healthy life expectancy below state pension age, and Britons spend about a quarter of their lives in poor health even as overall life expectancy has recovered after Covid.
Analysts tie the decline to rising long-term illness, NHS access problems and wider deprivation: 36% of working-age adults reported a chronic condition in early 2023, while only half of Britons say they usually get a same-day GP response.
The debate is over cause and cure: some argue the state-run NHS lacks incentives and point to Dutch-style insurance, while others say chronic underinvestment, poverty, obesity and mental health are bigger drivers than funding model.
The UK was one of only five of the 21 richest countries to record a decline, underscoring widening regional inequality and pressure for reforms that improve prevention, continuity of care and support in deprived communities.