Inequality in life expectancy in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Inequality in life expectancy was 0.0385 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
0.0385
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
161st
of 195 countries
All-time high
0.0428
in 2010
All-time low
0.0378
in 2020
Years of data
14
2010–2023

Inequality in life expectancy in United Kingdom, 2010–2023

00.010.020.030.042010201620232010: 0.0432011: 0.0422012: 0.042013: 0.0392014: 0.0392015: 0.0392016: 0.0392017: 0.0392018: 0.0392019: 0.0392020: 0.0382021: 0.042022: 0.042023: 0.039

Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for inequality in life expectancy in United Kingdom is 0.0385, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, inequality in life expectancy in United Kingdom peaked at 0.0428 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.0378, in 2020.

United Kingdom ranks 161st of 195 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 0.0398 0.0387 0.0428 10
2020s 0.0391 0.0378 0.04 4

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 158 Lithuania 0.0414 compare
  2. 159 Poland 0.0392 compare
  3. 160 United Arab Emirates 0.039 compare
  4. 162 Monaco 0.0373 compare
  5. 163 Hungary 0.0372 compare
  6. 164 France 0.0371 compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More health data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is inequality in life expectancy in United Kingdom?
Inequality in life expectancy in United Kingdom was 0.0385 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest inequality in life expectancy recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 0.0428 in 2010.
What is the lowest inequality in life expectancy recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0378 in 2020.
How does United Kingdom rank for inequality in life expectancy?
United Kingdom ranks 161st out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
Is inequality in life expectancy rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Inequality in life expectancy
Source
UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
195 places, 2,730 data points, 2010–2023
Last refreshed

The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.