Healthy life expectancy in the UK has been consistently falling, despite an overall increase in life expectancy. Office for National Statistics figures for 2022-24 show that healthy life expectancy at birth was 60.7 years for men and 60.9 years for women across the UK. This compares to a total life expectancy of 79.1 years for men and 83.0 years for women.
In Scotland, healthy life expectancy for 2022-24 was lower, at 59.1 years for men and 59.4 years for women, with these numbers continuing to decline. This trend indicates that a growing number of years gained in life expectancy are being spent with reduced independence, limited health conditions, or disability.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has put forward a proposal for a universal, NHS-style social care service. This initiative has brought attention to the global challenge of managing demographic changes associated with an ageing society.
Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, suggests that a key UK government objective should be to increase the number of healthy years of life. She highlights that healthy ageing is influenced by factors in people's 40s, 50s, and 60s, including prevention and early management of conditions, diet, physical activity, and environmental quality.
Countries like Japan and Singapore have made healthy ageing a priority, implementing plans and initiatives to extend years lived well and support older people in their communities. Japan aims to increase healthy life expectancy by more than three years by 2040, targeting at least 75 for men and women, through reforms in employment, healthcare, and social welfare.