Life expectancy in England reached an all-time high in 2025, with men averaging 80 years and women nearly 84 years, according to provisional figures. However, gains were concentrated in southern regions, while northern populations saw minimal progress, widening existing disparities.
London’s life expectancy rose by nearly a year in the decade to 2025, despite experiencing the sharpest drop during the Covid pandemic. The south-east, south-west, and east of England also recorded improvements. In contrast, half of England’s population living in five northern regions—the north-west, north-east, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, and East Midlands—experienced little or no increase in life expectancy over the same period. According to the King’s Fund, people in London can now expect to live three years longer than those in the north-east.
Local disparities proved even more dramatic, with men in Blackpool, Lancashire facing a life expectancy 10 years shorter than those in Hart, Hampshire, and women facing an eight-year gap. The most deprived 30 percent of areas saw life expectancy either decline or remain stagnant over the past decade, while the least deprived 30 percent gained half a year. Healthy life expectancy fell across all English regions in the decade to 2024, with people spending approximately 2.5 years longer in poor health on average. Regional disparities in healthy life expectancy ranged from six to seven years but could reach 20 years between the most and least deprived regions.
The King’s Fund characterized the government’s 10-year NHS plan—which aims to increase healthy life expectancy and halve the gap between richest and poorest—as “unrealistic.” The charity emphasized that addressing health inequalities requires cross-government efforts extending beyond healthcare, including secure employment, fair wages, adequate housing, clean air, and affordable healthy food access. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson stated the government was committed to tackling inequalities, noting £2.2bn was being repurposed for medicines and equipment in deprived areas and pledging further action through local devolution and community-focused health centres.
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