England’s north-south life expectancy gap widens as overall lifespan hits record high
A King’s Fund report says people in England are living longer overall, but the extra years are concentrated in the south while northern regions lag further behind.
The gap in life expectancy between northern and southern England has widened over the past decade, according to a new King’s Fund report published on Sunday. The charity said the pattern reflects heavier burdens of illness and premature death in the north.
Provisional figures show average life expectancy in England reached a record high in 2025, at about 80 years for men and nearly 84 for women. The report said most of the improvement was seen in southern areas.
The King’s Fund said people in northern regions are more likely to face conditions including heart disease and cancer, as well as deaths linked to suicide and to alcohol and drug misuse. It said those factors have helped drive the regional divide.
The findings add to long-running concerns about health inequality across England, where overall longevity has improved even as the benefits have not been shared evenly.
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