Inequality in life expectancy in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Inequality in life expectancy was 0.0385 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Inequality in life expectancy in United Kingdom, 2010–2023
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.
Inequality in life expectancy in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.0428 | — |
| 2011 | 0.042 | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 0.0403 | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 0.0389 | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 0.039 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.0389 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 0.0391 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 0.0387 | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 0.0388 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.0392 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 0.0378 | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 0.0399 | +5.5% |
| 2022 | 0.04 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 0.0385 | -3.6% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.0385 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.039, 99% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 0.0385 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.0379, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.0398 | 0.0387 | 0.0428 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0391 | 0.0378 | 0.04 | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More health data for United Kingdom
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.71 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.0265 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,134 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 461 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7128 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0247 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.7724 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
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
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.