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, these gains were concentrated in southern regions, while northern areas showed stagnation or decline, according to analysis by the King’s Fund.
London’s life expectancy increased by nearly a year in the decade to 2023-25, and the south-east, south-west, and east of England also recorded gains. In contrast, the five northern regions—the north-west, north-east, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, and East Midlands—which together account for half of England’s population, experienced little or no rise in life expectancy. The disparity is particularly stark at the local level, with life expectancy in Blackpool, Lancashire, standing 10 years shorter for men and 8 years shorter for women compared to Hart, Hampshire. People in London can now expect to live three years longer than those in the north-east.
Healthy life expectancy, measured as years spent in good health, declined across all English regions in the decade to 2022-24. The regional divide in healthy life expectancy has remained at approximately 6 to 7 years overall but reaches 20 years between the most and least deprived regions. In the most deprived 30 percent of areas, life expectancy either fell or did not improve over the past decade. Greater levels of deprivation in northern regions correlate with higher rates of heart disease, cancer, suicides, and deaths related to alcohol and drug misuse.
The government’s 10-year NHS plan aims to increase healthy life expectancy for all in England while halving the gap between the richest and poorest. However, the King’s Fund characterized this goal as unrealistic, requiring population health improvements on a scale unseen in recent decades. Officials emphasized that addressing health disparities requires cross-government action on underlying determinants such as employment security, wages, housing, air quality, transport access, and diet affordability, rather than focusing solely on healthcare system improvements.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson stated the government is committed to eliminating postcode-based disparities in life expectancy. The department indicated £2.2bn is being reallocated for critical resources in deprived areas and announced plans for fairer GP funding allocation and neighbourhood health centres in underserved communities, alongside increased devolution of power to local decision-makers.
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