New figures show that healthy life expectancy has fallen in nearly nine in 10 council areas in England and Wales
Healthy life expectancy is on the decline across most of the nation – with the disparity between how long people can expect to live in good health in the wealthiest and most deprived areas expanding.
New data from the Office for National Statistics reveals that male babies born in England between 2021 and 2023 can anticipate 61.5 years of good health, compared to 61.9 years for female babies. In Wales, the figures are slightly lower, with males expecting 60.3 years of good health and females 59.6 years.
The statistics indicate that babies born in the last three years can expect fewer healthy years than those born in the three years preceding the pandemic. Male healthy life expectancy has decreased by approximately 20 months in England and 13 months in Wales; while for females, it has fallen by 22 months in England and 27 months in Wales.
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Healthy life expectancy, which is the average number of years a person can expect to live in good health, has declined in almost nine out of ten council areas in England and Wales. An analysis by the Centre for Ageing Better highlights a significant disparity in healthy life expectancy between England’s wealthiest and most deprived areas.
Both men and women residing in the most affluent areas enjoy up to around 18 more years of good health than those in the most deprived areas. For example, a male baby born in Blackpool, one of the country’s most deprived areas, can expect to live in good health for 51.7 years, compared to 69.7 years in affluent Wokingham.
Women in Barnsley have the shortest healthy life expectancy (52.6 years), while women born in Wokingham remain healthy for the longest (70.8 years).
The gap between the length of time people could expect to live in good health in the wealthiest and poorest areas was up to 16 years for men and 17 years for women. In Cheshire East, men have seen the biggest fall in healthy life expectancy, from 67.1 years before the pandemic to 61.9 years, a drop of more than five years. The largest decrease in female healthy life expectancy is in Peterborough, from 61.2 years to 55.2 years, a six-year drop.
You can see the average life expectancy where you live using these interactive maps:
