More than three-quarters of London boroughs now have a life expectancy that falls short of the state pension age of 66, according to new analysis that lays bare the scale of the capital’s health challenges. The findings, published by the Health Foundation and based on Office for National Statistics data from 2012–2014 and 2022–2024, reveal that 25 of London’s 32 boroughs are below that threshold.
Life expectancy across the capital has slipped over the past 14 years, reflecting a wider national decline in healthy life expectancy – the number of years a person can expect to live in good health. The UK is now one of only five of the 21 richest countries where healthy life expectancy has fallen, and it has experienced the second steepest drop overall. Between 2012–2014 and 2022–2024, healthy life expectancy for UK men and women fell by more than two years, standing at roughly 60.7 years for men and 60.9 years for women. The country slid from 14th to 20th place among high-income nations; only the United States now has a lower healthy life expectancy.
While the national picture is bleak, London presents a more complicated story. Although overall life expectancy has declined in most parts of the capital, 15 of the 32 boroughs saw improvements in healthy life expectancy for both men and women between 2011 and 2021 – a trend that runs counter to the rest of the UK. Yet London’s healthy life expectancy overall has not changed significantly over that period, even as the national figure deteriorated.
Wide variations between boroughs
The disparities within London are stark. At the top end, Richmond upon Thames records the highest life expectancy: 70.3 years for women and 69.3 for men. It also boasts the highest healthy life expectancy in the UK for both sexes. Sutton (68.7 women, 68.3 men) and Bromley (67.7 women, 67.5 men) also rank among the highest in the capital.
At the other end, Greenwich has the lowest female life expectancy, at 57.5 years, while Haringey has the lowest male life expectancy, at 58.3 years. Lewisham (58.1 women, 58.3 men) and Hackney (58.9 women, 59.3 men) also appear among the lowest. For women, trends vary across boroughs, but for men most areas have seen a decline.
A handful of boroughs – including Croydon, Sutton and Newham – have recorded some improvements, but they are outnumbered by the areas where life expectancy has fallen. Even within affluent boroughs, the gaps can be enormous. In Kensington and Chelsea, the life expectancy difference between the most and least deprived neighbourhoods reaches 14.8 years for men and 11.9 years for women. Females living in the Notting Dale area die, on average, 15 years sooner than those in the neighbouring Holland ward.
In more than 90 per cent of local areas across the UK, healthy life expectancy is now below the state pension age of 66. The state pension age is due to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028, and to 68 between 2044 and 2046, meaning an increasing number of people will spend a significant portion of their later years in poor health.
What is driving the decline?
The Health Foundation warns the trend represents a “watershed moment” that carries serious economic consequences, including reduced workforce participation and higher healthcare costs. The organisation points to poverty, poor housing, obesity and the long-term impact of Covid-19 as the key drivers.
Poverty is particularly acute in London. The capital has the highest poverty rate of any English region, with one in four Londoners living below the poverty line. More than half of the city’s boroughs have higher poverty levels than England as a whole. Housing costs are a major factor: poverty rates double in 21 boroughs when housing costs are taken into account. London also has England’s highest levels of child poverty; in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham more than half of children live below the breadline, according to March 2026 data. A high proportion of poor Londoners live in working households, illustrating the problem of in-work poverty.
Obesity is another critical factor. Childhood obesity rates in London are higher than the national average: 24 per cent of 10- and 11-year-olds in the capital were obese in 2023/24. Southwark has the highest proportion, at 29.7 per cent in 2024/25, while Richmond upon Thames has the lowest, at 12.1 per cent. Separate data from December 2024 shows Barking and Dagenham at 29.5 per cent, Newham at 28.3 per cent and Enfield at 27.6 per cent. Among adults, Barking and Dagenham recorded the highest share classified as overweight or obese in 2021, at 70.5 per cent; Camden had the lowest, at 50.1 per cent.
The Covid-19 pandemic dealt a direct blow to life expectancy. In 2020, male life expectancy in England fell by 1.3 years and female life expectancy by 0.9 years. Across the UK, overall life expectancy was reduced by about half a year per person, falling to levels last seen in 2010. The pandemic disproportionately affected men and older age groups. Although some recovery has occurred, life expectancy in 2022 remained below pre-pandemic levels, and in many deprived areas it has still not fully recovered.
Housing and deprivation underpin much of the inequality. London’s housing crisis, with high rents driving material poverty, is a key contributor. The gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas in England is around 20 years. Other factors identified include tobacco use, poor diet, ethnic inequalities and high body mass index, all of which interact with poverty and housing to shape health outcomes. The Health Foundation has also highlighted the role of austerity, stagnant wages, rising housing insecurity, and cuts to social security and public health budgets in driving the decline in healthy life expectancy nationally.