🇳🇬NigeriaWest Africa
UK's healthy life expectancy falls by over two years in a decade
via Punch Nigeria2 min read
A new study reveals that the number of years British people enjoy good health has decreased by over two years in a decade, with more individuals experiencing ailments before retirement age. Between 2012-2014 and 2022-2024, healthy life expectancy HLE in the UK dropped from 62.9 years for men and 63.7 years for women to just under 61 for both. Andrew Mooney, principal data analyst with the Health Foundation and co-author of the study, stated that "The UK’s health is deteriorating and slipping further behind comparable nations." The study defines HLE as the average number of years a person expects to live in good health, based on current mortality rates and self-reported good health. The findings indicate a "watershed moment" as years of good health now fall below the retirement age of 66, which will rise to 67 in 2026. The UK is one of only five high-income countries where healthy life expectancy fell between 2011 and 2021, experiencing the second steepest decline, with only the United States now having a lower healthy life expectancy. The report also highlighted widening inequalities, with the gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas in England reaching 19.4 years for males and 20.3 years for females. For example, HLE for men in wealthy Richmond is 69.3 years, while in Blackpool, it is 50.9 years. The report attributes this to successive governments failing to take long-term action, leading to economic, fiscal, and human costs.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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