North-South life expectancy gap widens as health inequalities deepen, report warns
The gap in life expectancy between the North and South of England has widened over the past decade, according to new analysis from The King's Fund.
The health charity found life expectancy reached its highest recorded level in 2025, but improvements have not been shared equally across the country.
People living in London can now expect to live around three years longer than those in the North East. The report says almost half of England's population living across the North has seen little or no improvement in life expectancy over the decade to 2023–25, while people living in London, the South East, South West and East of England have seen gains.
Researchers also found healthy life expectancy – the number of years people can expect to live in good health – has fallen by around two-and-a-half years over the past decade.
The differences between England's richest and poorest communities remain stark. Men living in the wealthiest 10 per cent of areas can expect to live around 10 years longer than those in the poorest 10 per cent, while for women the gap is around eight years. The difference in healthy life expectancy is even greater, at around 20 years.
The report also found people in the North East experience higher rates of early death from heart disease and cancer, as well as higher rates of suicide and deaths linked to alcohol and drug misuse than those living in London.
Speaking to us, Veena Raleigh, Senior Fellow at The King's Fund, said wider social and economic factors are the biggest drivers of people's health.
"Probably the biggest driver of health are the wider socioeconomic determinants," she said.
She said improving the nation's health would require action beyond the NHS, with government using measures such as regulation and taxation to encourage healthier lifestyles.
"We need the government to... go much wider and further," she said, pointing to policies such as the soft drinks levy and tighter regulation of unhealthy food.
The King's Fund says the Government's ambition to increase healthy life expectancy and halve the gap between England's richest and poorest communities now looks "unrealistic" without major improvements in population health.
Ms Raleigh said: "That people in our northern and less well-off communities have seen little or no improvement in longevity over a decade, in contrast to the health gains in their southern and more well-off counterparts, is a mark of shame for an affluent country.
"Improving population health and reducing entrenched health inequalities have never been more urgent and yet also more challenging.
"It will require concerted, bold, cross-governmental action to reduce preventable illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes associated with poor diet, drinking and smoking, and tackle the wider factors driving persistent poor health."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Someone's postcode should never dictate how long they live, and this Government is determined to tackle the stark inequalities that still exist across Britain.
"We're already taking action, from allocating GP funding more fairly to delivering pioneering Neighbourhood Health Centres in the areas that need them most.
"But we will now go further in devolving power to local communities, putting decision-making into the hands of those who know their areas best, and driving lasting change across the country."