Does your postcode indicate how long you might live? Why are there such differences in life expectancy? Can we improve how long we live a healthy  life?  

In this article 

• Where do people live the longest in the UK? 
• Where in the UK is life expectancy the shortest? 
• What factors might shorten a healthy life? 
  • Area of residence  
  • Housing 
  • Education  
  • Occupation and finance   
  • Diet and lifestyle  
  • Ethnicity 
  • Social status 
• What can we do to live a longer, healthier life? 
• Conclusions 

Where do people live longest in the UK? 

In 2025, the average life expectancy in the UK is 81.6 years – 83.4 years for women and 79.7 years for men¹. However, this is dependent on many factors, particularly area of residence, as people usually live longer in more affluent areas². The life expectancy disparity can be up to 21 years between less and more affluent areas when looking at the life expectancy of a healthy life (the number of years people live in good health). 

People in London and the Southeast have the longest life expectancy at birth. Currently, Winchester, Hampshire has the longest life expectancy in the UK, with 85.3 years, closely followed by Richmond Park, London, and the Cities of London and Westminster (84.6 years)³. 

Where in the UK is life expectancy the shortest? 

Scotland has the shortest average life expectancy at birth at 79 years. Glasgow has a particularly low average life expectancy: Glasgow Northeast is 74.2 years and Glasgow East is 75.5 years. Liverpool Riverside in England also has a low average life expectancy of 75.0 years³.  

What factors might shorten a healthy life? 

Area of residence  

Areas of deprivation tend to be more built-up with fewer green spaces, more junk food outlets and betting shops, and more below-standard housing compared to more affluent areas^4-6. As a result, people potentially have poorer physical and mental health due to limited choices for better nutrition, fresh air or the opportunity for better general well-being. 

Plus, the shorter life expectancy areas noted earlier are in the northern parts of the UK that receive the least amount of sunshine. Sunshine is the main natural source of vitamin D, which is important for bone, teeth and muscle health, particularly in children; vitamin D may also help prevent depression in later life^7,8.  

Housing 

Poor housing conditions are usually associated with lower socioeconomic status and  areas of high deprivation. Worse health outcomes are observed in this type of housing, including higher rates of respiratory conditions due to cold, damp conditions and mould, resulting in lower healthy life expectancy⁹. 

Education  

Life expectancy in relation to a person’s education as well as occupation and wage was assessed in England and Wales using census data linked to the ONS Longitudinal Study¹⁰. People with no or fewer education/qualifications had the lowest life expectancy in comparison to all other factors (occupation and wage), especially men.  

Occupation and finance   

People in certain occupations and with lower wages are more likely to have a lower life expectancy, as they are less likely to have the financial resources or opportunities for better health and living standards¹⁰. 

For instance, white collar workers (doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects, teachers, etc.) tend to live longer than blue collar workers (plumbers, electricians, gardeners, cooks, manual workers, etc.), possibly due to the differences in physical and mental stress and strain (occupational health) between these types of jobs¹¹.  

Occupation is associated with how financially stable and well off a person is. When you are well off financially, you can afford to buy better things that might keep you healthy, from fresh fruit and vegetables to a gym membership and private healthcare. If you have a low income, such expenses may not be an option^10-12. 

Diet and lifestyle  

People in deprived areas are more likely to engage in unhealthy habits such as smoking and alcohol abuse, possibly because they are more stressed due to their situation. Additionally, an unhealthy diet and a lack of exercise lead to a higher prevalence of them being overweight or obese. These are all risk factors for bad health and short life expectancy⁴.   

A study by the British Health Foundation about deprivation in England reported higher rates of diabetes and hypertension in these areas, and that the residents were less likely to seek medical treatment, resulting in poorer health outcomes¹³. 

Thus, having a healthy lifestyle can help to prolong life. For example, being more physically active during adulthood can reduce the risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease deaths¹⁴. In addition, analysis of data from a prospective population-based cohort from the UK Biobank showed healthy diets aid in longevity by preventing the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), especially in younger and middle-aged people as it can add meaningful years of life¹⁵.  

Ethnicity 

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the White population of the UK had the lowest life expectancy of all ethnic groups, except for the mixed group, which may be because immigrants arrived having had better diets and lifestyles. However, for individual causes of death, ethnic minority groups had higher death rates than the White group for 50% of the leading causes of death¹⁶. 

The pandemic magnified the differences between ethnic groups. Non-White ethnic groups and those living in the most deprived areas and from lower socio-economic backgrounds (e.g. the homeless, prisoners and street-based sex workers) had a higher risk of contracting the virus that causes Covid and dying than the White population. They were also more likely to have a larger number of coexisting NCDs^17,18. 

Social status 

People living in deprived areas are usually of lower social status, have less education and/or qualifications, work in blue collar occupations and are financially less well off¹⁹. As a result, they often have less control of their lives, are more stressed and don’t have the means to lead a healthy life, which contributes to a shorter life expectancy. 

In summary, these factors can all contribute to health inequalities, particularly for those living in deprived areas, resulting in a shortened healthy life. 

What can we do to live a longer, healthier life? 

Fortunately, there is a range of things we can do to increase our chances of living longer in good health, whatever our postcode, such as:  

• Not smoking, not consuming alcohol, eating and drinking healthily and exercising regularly – lifestyle choices that could add up to ten years to your life^14,15,20 
• Taking advantage of educational opportunities, especially in your adult life, that might help in gaining better employment and better earnings²¹ 
• Developing and maintaining strong social networks to prevent depression or loneliness²⁰ 
• Volunteering, as some studies suggest that participating in volunteer work can help maintain health and improve life expectancy^20,22  

Conclusions 

Where we live seems to influence how long we might live – especially how affluent or deprived the area. However, our life expectancy is not solely based on this and there are many things we can do to improve our chances of living a longer and healthier life. 

Reviewed and updated by Mojitola Idowu, December 2025. 

Read these Age Watch articles next

• Adding years to your life, and life to years 
• How can we stay healthy longer?
• Social status and health 
• Centenarian studies: how some people live to 100 or more 
• How to look after your body 
• Exercise and live longer 
• Understanding stress 
• Work and health
• Quiz: What do you know about longevity? 

References 

1. Life Expectancy in the U.K. WorldoMeter. https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/uk-demographics/#life-exp   
2. People in the most deprived areas of the UK spend up to 21 years in poor health – 11 more unhealthy years than those in wealthier places. International Longevity Centre UK. https://ilcuk.org.uk/people-in-the-most-deprived-areas-of-the-uk-spend-up-to-21-years-in-poor-health/ 
3. Map of life expectancy at birth by constituency. The Health Foundation. https://www.health.org.uk/evidence-hub/health-inequalities/map-of-life-expectancy-at-birth-by-constituency  
4. Geographical differences in healthy life expectancy. UK Parliament. https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pb-0067/   
5. Macdonald L, Nicholls N, Brown D, et al. Impact of built environment change on all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a novel longitudinal method and study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2023 Sep;77(9):594-600. doi: 10.1136/jech-2023-220681. Epub 2023 Jun 27. PMID: 37369593; PMCID: PMC10423518. https://jech.bmj.com/content/77/9/594.long  
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7. NHS. Vitamin D. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/ 
8. Ronaldson A, Arias de la Torre J, Gaughran F, et al. Prospective associations between vitamin D and depression in middle-aged adults: findings from the UK Biobank cohort. Psychol Med. 2022 Jul;52(10):1866-1874. doi: 10.1017/S0033291720003657. Epub 2020 Oct 21. PMID: 33081855; PMCID: PMC9340850. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/prospective-associations-between-vitamin-d-and-depression-in-middleaged-adults-findings-from-the-uk-biobank-cohort/741D760DB6639901E43FFE2E324DDB8C  
9. Marmot M. Poor quality housing is harming our health. BMJ. 2025 Jan 2;388:r1. doi: 10.1136/bmj.r1. PMID: 39746707. https://www.bmj.com/content/388/bmj.r1   
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12. Relationship between income and life expectancy by neighbourhood. The Health Foundation. https://www.health.org.uk/evidence-hub/money-and-resources/income/relationship-between-income-and-life-expectancy-by#:~:text=Higher%20average%20incomes%20are%20associated%20with%20higher%20life%20expectancy  
13. How inequalities contribute to heart and circulatory diseases. The British Heart Foundation. https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/our-research/heart-statistics/health-inequalities-research/inequalities-in-heart-and-circulatory-diseases-in-england    
14.  Yu R, Duncombe SL, Nemoto Y, et al. Physical activity trajectories and accumulation over adulthood and their associations with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2025 Aug 26;59(17):1228-1241. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-109122. PMID: 40639966; PMCID: PMC12418563 https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/59/17/1228.long    
15. Fadnes LT, Celis-Morales C, Økland JM, et al. Life expectancy can increase by up to 10 years following sustained shifts towards healthier diets in the United Kingdom. Nat Food. 2023 Nov;4(11):961-965. doi: 10.1038/s43016-023-00868-w. Epub 2023 Nov 20. PMID: 37985698; PMCID: PMC10661734. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-023-00868-w   
16. Ali R, Raleigh V, Majeed A, et al. Life expectancy by ethnic group in England. BMJ. 2021 Nov 9;375:e068537. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2021-068537. PMID: 34753743. https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj-2021-068537   
17. Bambra C, Riordan R, Ford J, et al. The COVID-19 pandemic and health inequalities. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2020 Nov;74(11):964-968. doi: 10.1136/jech-2020-214401. Epub 2020 Jun 13. PMID: 32535550; PMCID: PMC7298201. https://jech.bmj.com/content/74/11/964   
18. UK Government. Research and analysis COVID-19 confirmed deaths in England (to 31 December 2022): report. Updated 28 April 2023 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-reported-sars-cov-2-deaths-in-england/covid-19-confirmed-deaths-in-england-to-31-december-2022-report#:~:text=Deaths%20were%20highest%20among%20men%2C%20particularly%20during,were%20highest%20for%20non%2Dwhite%20ethnic%20groups%20after 
19. Life chances. EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/life-chances  
20. 13 Habits for a Longer Life. Abbeycroft. https://www.abbeycroft.org.uk/13-habits-for-a-longer-life/#:~:text=Consuming%20a%20wide%20variety%20of,%2C%20or%20hormone%2Drelated%20diseases.  
21. IHME-CHAIN Collaborators. Effects of education on adult mortality: a global systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Public Health. 2024 Mar;9(3):e155-e165. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00306-7. Epub 2024 Jan 23. PMID: 38278172; PMCID: PMC10901745. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(23)00306-7/fulltext 
22. Lee, R. S., Heo, J., Chun, S., & Kim, J. (2024). Benefits of volunteering on resilience with aging: a case study. Annals of Leisure Research, 27(5), 703–724. doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2023.2254866. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/11745398.2023.2254866