UK adults now live fewer years in good health than they did a decade ago, according to research that reveals a sharp decline in healthy life expectancy and widening inequalities across the country. The findings paint a stark picture of national wellbeing, with men now expecting only 60.7 years of illness-free life, down from 62.9 years between 2012-14, while women have seen a drop from 63.7 to 60.9 years over the same period. The loss of roughly two years of healthy life per person has pushed the United Kingdom from 14th to 20th place in a league table of 21 high-income nations for healthy life expectancy, with only the United States ranking lower.
Why healthy life expectancy is falling
The decline, described by the Department of Health and Social Care as a “disgrace”, is driven by a combination of preventable illness, rising chronic disease and widening health inequalities. The UK is now the most obese country in western Europe, fuelling higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. At the same time, mental ill health has surged to unprecedented levels, while alcohol and drug-related deaths remain stubbornly high. In more than 90 per cent of UK areas, people now begin to suffer from illness before reaching the state pension age of 66. In the poorest parts of the country, healthy life expectancy falls below 55 years, and the gap between the most and least deprived areas in England stands at 19.4 years for males and 20.3 years for females.
Experts argue that successive governments have done too little to address the root causes of poor health. The Department of Health and Social Care has pointed to measures such as the tobacco and vapes bill and restrictions on junk food advertising, but critics say these steps are insufficient to reverse a trend that is worsening faster than in almost any other developed nation. The UK is one of only five countries in the high-income group where healthy life expectancy has declined, and it has the second steepest drop among them. The broader consequences are already being felt: a record 2.8 million people are too sick to work, placing strain on the workforce, the health care system and public finances.
Fertility rates in decline
Alongside the deterioration in public health, the UK is also grappling with a demographic shift that mirrors global trends. The total fertility rate in England and Wales has fallen to a record low of 1.41 children per woman in 2024, well below the replacement rate of 2.1 needed to maintain population size. The decline, which has been under way since 2010, means that for the first time in nearly 50 years – excluding the pandemic period – deaths have outnumbered births. Globally, fertility rates have fallen sharply from five births per woman in the 1950s to around 2.3 in 2021, with further declines projected. Factors driving the trend include lower child mortality, increased access to education and jobs for women, urbanisation, rising living costs, delayed childbearing and changing social norms. The consequences of sustained low fertility include population ageing, workforce shortages and increased pressure on pension and health care systems. The subject is explored in the miniseries Shrinking States, which examines the decline in global fertility rates.
The science behind ‘spooky’ houses
While the health and demographic challenges are rooted in complex social and economic factors, a separate study offers a more prosaic explanation for a phenomenon often attributed to the supernatural. Feelings of unease reported in old houses, sometimes described as “spooky”, may be caused by boiler and heating system noises, according to the research. Older homes often contain ageing pipes, boilers and ventilation systems that produce infrasound – low-frequency sound below the range of human hearing, typically less than 20 hertz. Studies have shown that infrasound can trigger physiological and psychological effects including increased irritability, stress, feelings of dread and a subtle shift towards negative mood, all of which can be misconstrued as paranormal experiences. The body reacts before the mind consciously registers the sound, making the sensation particularly unsettling.
Common noises from heating systems – such as rattling or banging from expansion and contraction of metal components, whistling from air escaping or a faulty pressure relief valve, gurgling from trapped air, and “kettling” caused by limescale accumulation – can all contribute. Other environmental factors in older properties may also play a role. Certain mould species can cause inflammation of the optic nerve and hallucinations, while carbon monoxide leaks can produce similar symptoms. Variations in electromagnetic fields have also been linked to feelings of a “presence”. Psychological factors, including suggestion, sleep paralysis and the effects of stress, grief or trauma, make individuals more prone to misinterpreting ordinary sensations as supernatural. The findings suggest that before reaching for a ghost-hunting kit, it may be worth checking the boiler.