UK’s North–South life expectancy divide widens as study finds shocking differences

The North-South life expectancy gap in England has widened over the last decade, new figures show.

Life expectancy is set to reach the highest levels ever recorded in 2025, but the gains are not evenly represented in the country, a study has found.

For example, health charity The King’s Fund said there was a three-year gap between London and the North East, reflecting the higher levels of deprivation seen in northern areas.

He concluded that the Government’s target of increasing healthy life expectancy for everyone in England and halving the gap between the richest and poorest areas was “unrealistic”.

Achieving these goals will require improvements in public health on a scale not seen in recent years, he said.

Life expectancy for almost half of the UK population living in the North (North East and North West, Yorkshire and The Humber, East and West Midlands) was consistently the lowest nationally, with little or no improvement in the decade to 2023-25.

In contrast, life expectancy increased in London and the South East, and the South West and East parts of England, although the sharpest decline in life expectancy during the pandemic occurred in London.

There were also striking figures about how many years of their lives people spent in good health.

Overall, healthy life expectancy is trending downward everywhere; There has been a decline of approximately 2.5 years in the decade to 2022-24.

The news comes after new Prime Minister Andy Burnham opened a new headquarters for the Government in Manchester.

The Prime Minister is expected to work at No 10 North, Heron House in Manchester, once a week during his premiership as part of his drive to shift power away from Westminster.

Speaking to staff and ministers there on Friday morning, he described the opening of the new base as “the best day of my life” and said it had been a “full-round” experience for him as he had to leave the North West to start his career.

Mr Burnham added: “It’s true all over the country to get ahead in life you had to leave where you were because things didn’t work there.

“The country has always been a little like this, hasn’t it?

“This opportunity has not been distributed equally across the country and not every place has felt part of the national story, and this Government will work every day to change that.

“And that’s exactly what No 10 North is about: to put power into every postcode, so that people can turn things around for themselves and make changes, just like this great city has done, and just like other British cities have done through devolution, they’re turning things around through the ability to do more for themselves.”

The Prime Minister insisted No 10 North was key to “ensuring good growth right across the country”.

He added: “I mean it when I say every postcode, everyone. That’s what we need to do. It’s not forgotten anywhere, it’s heard everywhere, everyone has the feeling that their place can be more than what it is today.”

“High streets have opened up all over the country, Britain has re-industrialized and brought those good jobs back to all our parts. We have that opportunity before us, everyone. I said I wanted to make Britain believe again. Today is the day when we really hope we can build that feeling. Make Britain hope again.”

“I think we can do this together if we keep working like this. This is such an amazing moment for me. This is everything I believe in. Everything I’ve spent my whole life working for.”

Figures show that in 2022-24, men living in the least deprived 10 per cent of England can expect to live nearly a decade longer than men living in the poorest 10 per cent, with the difference for women being eight years.

But the difference in healthy life expectancy was even larger; in twenty years.

This means that people in the poorest areas not only have shorter lives but also spend most of their lives in poor health conditions.

A close look at people in London compared to those in the North East showed that Northerners fare particularly poorly in areas such as premature deaths from heart disease and cancer, as well as suicide and deaths due to alcohol and drug use.

Life expectancy in the UK is now the lowest of all comparable high-income countries except Germany and the USA.

Veena Raleigh, senior fellow at the King’s Fund, said: “It is a mark of shame for a rich country that people in our Northern and poorer communities have seen little or no improvement in life expectancy over a decade, in contrast to the health gains in our Southern and wealthier counterparts.

“Addressing this inequality in the nation’s health is not just a matter of social justice; it will also reduce pressure on the NHS and the high economic costs of ill health.

“Given the economic constraints the country faces, improving population health and reducing deep-seated health inequalities has never been more urgent and, at the same time, more challenging.

“Concerted, bold, intergovernmental action will be required to reduce largely preventable diseases such as poor diet, drinking and smoking-related cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and to tackle the wider determinants of persistent poor health, particularly among northern and poor communities.

“One of the three ‘radical changes’ in the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan is aimed at preventing disease.

“A year later, modest moves on this front fall far short of the bold action needed to improve public health, reduce inequalities, and increase people’s lives and years of health.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Someone’s postcode should never determine how long they live, and this Government is committed to tackling the stark inequalities that still exist across Britain.

“We are already taking action, from allocating GP funds more equitably to establishing pioneering Neighborhood Health Centers in areas where it is needed most.

“But now we will go even further in devolving power to local communities, placing decision-making authority in the hands of those who know their fields best, and leading lasting change across the country.”