Mortality and life expectancy trends in the UK Stalling progress

Throughout the 20^th century, the UK saw significant increases in life expectancy, influenced by better incomes and living conditions, changing habits and medical advances. Yet while mortality rates continued to improve during the 2000s, since 2011 they have stalled, and for certain groups of the population, gone into reverse.

Given the social and political importance of these trends and their implications for life expectancy, the Health Foundation commissioned a research team from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Vienna Institute of Demography to carry out a comprehensive literature review and analysis of trends, and how they compared with what is happening in other countries.

Our analysis builds on this research to explore the reasons behind stalling life expectancy improvements in the UK, uncovering worrying trends affecting groups of the population. While people in wealthier areas of the UK continue to live longer, for those living in the most deprived areas, life expectancy improvements are stalling. For women in these areas, life expectancy has fallen. 

The report calls for an independent body in the UK to scrutinise government policy and provide independent, expert analysis and advice on the drivers of mortality, and identify policy action required to protect life expectancy for future generations.

Other resources

Read the press release

Download a slide pack with the charts from the report (.pptx) (12.4 MB)

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