In this paper the Health Foundation reports that healthy life expectancy has fallen in the UK by about 2 years during the decade from 2012-14 to 2022-24. It ended up just below 61 years of age. The BBC reported that the UK was one of only 5 countries out of the 21 richest where this occurred and the UK fall was the second steepest.
However, in an article in the Financial Times of 2 May 2026, data correspondent John Burn-Murdoch reports that the UK fall in healthy life expectancy is due to declining mental health, especially in younger people, while physical health continues to improve. His conclusions are based on analysis of the long-running "Understanding Society" data collection programme.