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Healthy life expectancy

The UK ranks 18th of 28 on Healthy life expectancy (2023)

The UK ranks 18th of 28 on Healthy life expectancy in 2023: 68.2, unit years (at birth, both sexes), against an EU27 median of 69.4. Source: WHO Global Health Observatory, WHOSIS_000002, snapshot of 6 November 2026.

Average years a newborn would live in good health, from WHO estimates.

Caveat. WHO estimates combine mortality with modelled levels of ill health. Estimates are revised as new data arrive.

The UK

Healthy life expectancy

68.2years (at birth, both sexes)(2023)

18th of 28No change in rank from 2016 to 2023.
EU27 median
69.4 years (at birth, both sexes)
UK minus EU27 median
−1.2 years (at birth, both sexes)

League table

Values in years (at birth, both sexes). Countries ranked by value, 1 = top of the table, 28 with a value.

Healthy life expectancy, 2023: league table of countries
1Luxembourg71.42023
2Spain71.22023
2Italy71.22023
4Malta70.82023
5Sweden70.62023
6Cyprus70.32023
6Denmark70.32023
8Ireland70.22023
9France70.02023
10Austria69.92023
10Belgium69.92023
12Greece69.82023
12Portugal69.82023
14Finland69.42023
15Slovenia69.22023
16Germany69.12023
17Netherlands68.82023
18United KingdomUK68.22023
19Czechia68.02023
20Estonia67.82023
21Croatia67.32023
22Slovakia67.12023
23Poland66.92023
24Lithuania66.12023
25Hungary66.02023
25Romania66.02023
27Bulgaria65.42023
28Latvia65.22023

Trend, 2000 to 2023

Healthy life expectancy, 2000 to 2023Line chart, 2000 to 2023: the UK (heavy ink line), Germany, France, Italy and Spain (solid lines), and reference countries (faint lines). Dotted segments are IMF projections and are not ranked. Shaded bands and markers show events.years (at birth, both sexes)657020002005201020152020123Japan72Switzerland71Italy71Spain71Norway70France70Australia70Germany69United Kingdom68Canada68United States65Healthy life expectancy, 2000 to 2023Line chart, 2000 to 2023: the UK (heavy ink line), Germany, France, Italy and Spain (solid lines), and reference countries (faint lines). Dotted segments are IMF projections and are not ranked. Shaded bands and markers show events.years (at birth, both sexes)6570200020102020123JapanSwitzerlandItalySpainNorwayFranceAustraliaGermanyUnited KingdomCanadaUnited States
  • Heavy ink line: United Kingdom
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Thin grey lines, reference countries (not the big four): Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, United States
  • Shaded: 2008–09 financial crisis
  • Shaded: 2020–21 Covid-19 pandemic
  • Shaded: 2022–23 energy price shock
  • Marker 1: EU referendum (23 June 2016)
  • Marker 2: UK leaves the EU (31 January 2020)
  • Marker 3: Transition period ends; Trade and Cooperation Agreement in force (1 January 2021)
Trends show what happened, not why; Covid, energy prices and policy changes overlap the same years. Dotted lines are projections and are not ranked.

UK rank over time

Rank 1 is the top of the table; the line is drawn with rank 1 at the top. Each year is ranked on that year's values.

UK rank, 2000 to 2023: 11th to 18th11th14th16th18th20002005201020152020June 201618thUK rank, 2000 to 2023: 11th to 18th11th14th16th18th200020102020June 201618th

2000: 11th · 2023: 18th

Sources and method

Average years a newborn would live in good health, from WHO estimates.

Source: WHO Global Health Observatory · series WHOSIS_000002· vintage WHO GHO record date 2026-10-01 · fetched 2026-11-06

World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory (data.who.int), adapted; accessed 2026-11-06.

Licence: WHO datasets on data.who.int: CC BY 4.0 with additional terms (no implied WHO endorsement, no WHO name or emblem without approval, no misrepresentation). Older GHO records and WHO publications cite CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; current applicability to the GHO API not confirmed.