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 cited by the King’s Fund. However, these gains were concentrated predominantly in southern regions, while the northern half of the population saw minimal increases.
The disparity is particularly pronounced at the regional level. London’s life expectancy rose by nearly a year in the decade to 2023-25, while the south-east, south-west, and east regions also recorded gains. By contrast, five northern regions—the north-west, north-east, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, and East Midlands—experienced little or no improvement. The health charity reported that residents of London can now expect to live three years longer than those in the north-east. Local variations are even more striking, with men in Blackpool, Lancashire facing a 10-year shorter life expectancy than those in Hart, Hampshire, and women experiencing an eight-year gap.
Healthy life expectancy, measuring years spent in good health, declined across all English regions during the decade to 2022-24. People now spend approximately 2.5 years longer in poor health on average. The regional divide for healthy life expectancy has remained stable at six to seven years, though disparities can reach 20 years between the most and least deprived areas. The King’s Fund attributed these trends to persistent deprivation and stated that improvements in areas with the highest deprivation either stalled or declined over the past decade.
The government’s 10-year NHS plan aims to increase healthy life expectancy while halving the gap between the richest and poorest populations. However, the King’s Fund characterized this goal as unrealistic without unprecedented improvements in population health. Officials emphasized that addressing the underlying determinants of health—including employment, housing, transportation, and diet access—requires coordinated action beyond healthcare services alone.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson stated the government is committed to ensuring that postcode does not determine life expectancy, citing £2.2bn being repurposed for resources in deprived areas and plans to devolve decision-making power to local communities.
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