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Retiring in comfort and good health now seems the luxury of a lucky few | Letters
NEWS
5/9/2026

Retiring in comfort and good health now seems the luxury of a lucky few | Letters

Deprivation and inequality are behind the fall in healthy life expectancy, writes George Binette. Plus letters from Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Dr Louise Lawson and Chris PhillipsonHelen McCarthy writes that today’s struggle “is the right to live a good, meaningful life, and to live it right to the end” (Britain pioneered the comfortable retirement – but that golden age is coming to an end, 2 May). Ironically, her column appeared days after the Health Foundation reported a notable fall of roughly two years in healthy life expectancy across the UK in the decade between 2012-14 and 2022-24 to below 61 years for both men and women – significantly below the state pension age. Among 21 high-income countries, Britain’s ranking slumped from 14th to 20th against this measure, ahead only of the US.The reasons for this relative and absolute decline are, of course, multifaceted, but there is an undeniable link to relative deprivation. With the state pension age continuing to rise and the Tony Blair Institute effectively calling for abolishing the meagre state pension, Prof McCarthy’s assertion that “the right to retire was yesterday’s struggle,” seems dubious at best. Pensioner poverty in Britain remains widespread and far worse than in France and Italy. Continue reading...

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Guardian Business
Britain's Falling Healthy Life Expectancy Is a National Scandal
Developing
Opinion·5/3/2026AI summary

Britain's Falling Healthy Life Expectancy Is a National Scandal

Analysis from the Health Foundation reveals a devastating two-year decline in healthy life expectancy in Britain, with the UK now ranking 20th out of 21 high-income countries, just above the US. Worsening mental health among younger adults shows the sharpest deterioration, while the pandemic is not to blame. By 2028, when retirement age rises to 67, the average person will be in poor health over six years before stopping work. Huge geographical disparities exist, with London improving while Blackpool and Hartlepool see steepest declines.

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Guardian Business
People in UK spend fewer years in good health than a decade ago, study finds
NEWS
4/27/2026

People in UK spend fewer years in good health than a decade ago, study finds

Exclusive: Health Foundation says Britain is ‘going backwards’ compared with most other rich countriesFindings on healthy life expectancy in UK shed light on its deteriorating healthPeople in the UK are spending fewer years in good health than a decade ago, prompting concern that the population’s health is “going backwards”.The sharp decline in Britain’s healthy life expectancy, the amount of time someone spends free of illness or disability, is in sharp contrast to its recent rise in most other rich countries globally. Continue reading...

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Guardian UK
UK Healthy Life Expectancy Falls by Two Years as Obesity and Mental Illness Crisis Worsens
Developing
Health·4/27/2026AI summary

UK Healthy Life Expectancy Falls by Two Years as Obesity and Mental Illness Crisis Worsens

The UK's healthy life expectancy has fallen by two years to around 60.7 years for men and 60.9 for women between 2012-14 and 2022-24, diverging from rising trends in other rich countries. The Health Foundation warns most areas now fall below the state pension age of 66, meaning people spend years in ill-health before retirement, with the poorest areas below 55 years. The thinktank calls for bolder policies including extending sugar tax principles to other products and minimum unit pricing of alcohol.

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Guardian UK