Fresh research from the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed a troubling shift in the nation’s health outlook, showing that while people may still be living longer overall, the
number of years spent in good health is declining.
Life expectancy has long been a key measure of public wellbeing. The ONS life expectancy calculator estimates that a one-year-old boy in the UK today is expected to live to 87, while a girl of the same age is likely to reach 91. At age 65, average life expectancy rises to 85 for men and 88 for women.
Yet statisticians warn that headline figures only tell part of the story. Life expectancy data reflects national averages and masks major differences in health, lifestyle and geography across the country.
For example, the ONS estimates that a 65-year-old man has a one-in-four chance of living to 92, while a woman of the same age could reach 95. Smoking habits also continue to shape outcomes, with around 12% of UK adults still smoking.
Regional disparities remain stark. ONS research points to a gap of around ten years in male life expectancy at birth between Blackpool and the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
However, it is healthy life expectancy — the average number of years people can expect to live in “good” or “very good” health — that is drawing increasing attention from policymakers and financial planners alike.
According to the latest ONS figures, published in February 2026 using data from 2022 to 2024, healthy life expectancy at birth has fallen significantly since the previous reporting period.
Men are now expected to live 60.7 years in good health, while women can expect 60.9 healthy years. That represents a decline of 1.8 years for men and 2.5 years for women compared with the 2019–2021 figures.
The data highlights a widening gap between total lifespan and years lived in good health, raising concerns about future healthcare pressures and retirement planning.
Financial experts say the findings underline the importance of preparing not only for longer lives, but also for the potential costs associated with declining health in later years. Building financial reserves for care and medical support is increasingly being viewed as an essential part of long-term retirement planning.
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The value of investments and any income from them can fall as well as rise, and investors may not get back the full amount originally invested. Photo by Jim Goldsmith, Wikimedia commons.
