The number of years that people in Britain can expect to live in good health has fallen sharply over the past decade, with more individuals experiencing illness well before reaching retirement age, according to a new study.
Between 2012 and 2014 and 2022 and 2024, healthy life expectancy (HLE) in the UK declined significantly. For men, it dropped from 62.9 years to just under 61 years, while for women it fell from 63.7 years to a similar level. This means that, on average, both men and women are now spending a greater portion of their later lives in poor health.
"The UK's health is deteriorating and slipping further behind comparable nations," said the study's co-author, Andrew Mooney.
Healthy life expectancy measures the average number of years a person is expected to live in good health, based on current mortality rates and self-reported health status. In its report, the Health Foundation described HLE as "a key measure of the population's health," noting that it offers a more complete picture than life expectancy alone by capturing quality of life, not just its length.
The findings mark what the study calls a "watershed moment" for the UK, stating that, "Successive governments have failed to take the long-term action needed to address this, resulting in a growing economic and fiscal impact as well as a substantial human cost."
For the first time, the number of healthy years people can expect to live has fallen well below the state retirement age, which is currently 66 and set to rise to 67 in 2026. This shift raises concerns about the growing number of people likely to spend their retirement years coping with chronic illness or disability.
The report also highlights deepening inequalities across the country. The gap in healthy life expectancy between the most affluent and most deprived areas in England has widened dramatically, now standing at 19.4 years for men and 20.3 years for women.
In affluent Richmond, a suburb in west London, men can expect to live in good health until 69.3 years and women until 70.3. In contrast, in Blackpool, a more deprived seaside town in the northwest, healthy life expectancy drops to just 50.9 years for men, underscoring the regional disparity.
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