The UK is unhealthy.For healthy life expectancy, it ranks 20th out of 21 high income countries-only the US is lower. 1 Within the UK, health in Scotland is worse than in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 2 In Scotland, a steep social gradient exists: the more deprived the area, the worse people's health. 2 The gap in life expectancy between the most and the least deprived areas is 13.6 years for women and 16.3 for men. 2 The gap in healthy life expectancy is even bigger.2
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Marmot et al. (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: