People living in some UK postcodes are almost four times more likely to die before their 60th birthday than others, shocking statistics reveal. Analysis by the campaign group Health Equals found that on average one in 13 people (7.8%) in England die before reaching this milestone.
But that figure rises to more than one in seven (14.7%) in Blackpool and one in eight (12.8%) in Glasgow City. Other areas with the highest proportion of people dying before the age of 60 included Merthyr Tydfil in North Wales (12.7%), Dundee City (12.6%) and North Ayrshire (12.5%) in Scotland, and Middlesbrough (12.3%) in the North East of England.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the ranking, Hart had the lowest proportion of early deaths with just one in 25 people (4%) not reaching their 60th birthday. This was followed by similar high survival rates in Uttlesford, Essex (4.4%), Surrey Heath (4.5%), Richmond Upon Thames (4.5%) and Wokingham (4.6%).
Check how your area compares using our interactive map, which shows data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) based on mortality rates observed between 2022 and 2024:
Health Equals is a coalition of more than 130 charities and organisations that campaigns for action to tackle health inequalities. Members and supporters include the British Red Cross, Alzheimer’s Research UK, the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK.
The group’s senior policy fellow, Joe Farrington-Douglas, said the differences in survival rates beyond 60 “aren’t happening by accident”. He added: “The reality is that not everyone has the same opportunities to live a long and healthy life. This happens way before people enter a doctor’s surgery or hospital doors.
“For some people, the foundations of good health are there from the start: a safe and affordable home, stable work, strong social connections and neighbourhoods with green space and clean air.
“For others, day-to-day pressures such as poor housing, financial insecurity, and limited employment opportunities can take a real toll on both physical and mental health over time – leading to more sickness and tragically, early deaths.
“If Governments want growth and opportunity in every postcode, they must also deliver the basics of good health in every postcode. We need to tackle these underlying causes of poor health and make sure everyone, wherever they live, has the same chance to live a longer, healthier life.”
The King’s Fund think tank has defined health inequalities as “avoidable, unfair and systematic differences in health between different groups of people”. This can also include differences in access to care, quality and experience of care, and behavioural risks to health such as smoking rates.
Drivers of health inequalities include socio-economic factors such as income, geography and living in an urban or rural area; characteristics such as sex, ethnicity and disability; or being part of a socially excluded group, for example, people experiencing homelessness.
Health Equals said the “shocking” 11-percentage-point disparity between the local authorities with the highest and lowest survival rates at age 60 exposed the human cost of health inequalities.
It has called on MPs to amend the Health Bill currently going through Parliament to strengthen duties and require Government to publish a cross-government strategy to address inequality and help close the life expectancy gap.
The coalition’s director, Paul McDonald, added: ”Your postcode shouldn’t determine your shelf life. But in the UK, it does. Behind every statistic is a person, a family and a community experiencing loss that is often preventable. We should not accept a country where your chances of reaching 60 are so heavily influenced by where you live.
“If Governments want growth and opportunity in every postcode, they must also deliver the basics of good health in every postcode. Which is why we’re calling to make better health a priority so people can live longer, healthier lives.”
Overall life expectancy at birth in the UK stood at 83.0 years for women and 79.1 years for men in 2022-24, according to the ONS. It said life expectancy had remained virtually unchanged for the last 10 years, following sustained increases in the previous decades. There was an increased mortality rate during 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to COVID.
