The United Kingdom is experiencing a decline in healthy life expectancy, a metric measuring the years people can expect to live in good health. According to the Office for National Statistics, healthy life expectancy in 2022-2024 was 60.7 years for men and 60.9 years for women, representing a drop of 1.8 and 2.5 years respectively compared with 2019 to 2021, and the lowest level since analysis began in 2011. The UK was one of only five of the world’s richest 21 countries to see healthy life expectancy decline, while in more than 90% of areas, healthy life expectancy has dropped below the state pension age.
Meanwhile, more working-age adults are reporting long-term health conditions, with 36% saying they had at least one in early 2023, up from 31% in the same period of 2019. A 2025 study from National Voices charity found 37% of people with a long-term health condition did not feel supported by the NHS to manage their physical health, compared with 16% of those with no long-term conditions. Health Foundation analysis shows the share of adults rating their health as “good” or “very good” dropped from 76% in late 2020 to around 71% in late 2025, a decline of 5%.
Experts disagree on the root causes and solutions. Some analysts argue the NHS suffers from chronic underinvestment and lacks competition, pointing to healthcare systems in countries like the Netherlands and Bulgaria that perform better on metrics such as access to GP appointments. Others contend that systemic factors outside healthcare—including poverty, regional inequality, mental health challenges, and population demographics—are far more influential in determining healthy life expectancy than the structure of the healthcare system itself. Recent ONS data indicates around one in four adults aged 16 to 29 were experiencing moderate to severe depressive symptoms in April last year.
Some medical professionals are testing new approaches within the NHS framework. Doctors in Scotland’s most deprived communities are piloting strategies including extended appointment times and continuity of care with the same clinician, alongside family wellbeing support workers who connect patients to money advice, housing help, and other services. The debate continues over whether the NHS should be reformed, maintained as a tax-funded system, or restructured to incorporate more market competition and insurance-based mechanisms.
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