What is your life expectancy in the UK? Calculator & map.
What is your life expectancy in the UK? Calculator & map.
What is the life expectancy in the UK?
Life expectancy in the UK has steadily increased over the past century, thanks to medical advancements, improved public health measures, and lifestyle changes. People are generally living longer due to reduced smoking rates, better healthcare, safer working conditions, and a greater awareness of personal health.
However, longer life expectancy does not always mean more years spent in good health. Recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) is declining, meaning many people will spend more years in retirement managing health conditions or requiring care.
Understanding your life expectancy and expected years in good health is crucial for financial planning. It directly impacts how long your pension, savings, and investments need to last, as well as potential care costs in later life.
You can use our interactive UK Life Expectancy Calculator and UK Life Expectancy Map to see how long you might live. You can also skip to the section on Healthy Life Expectancy to see how your health and where you live may affect your retirement.
Note that the sources for this article are as follows:
Why does life expectancy matter for financial planning?
Planning for retirement requires a clear understanding of how long your savings may need to last. If you retire at 65 and live to 100, your pension and investments must sustain you for 35 years. Underestimating life expectancy can lead to financial shortfalls, while overestimating it may result in unnecessary financial restraint.
Our Chartered Financial Planners in Tunbridge Wells emphasise the importance of factoring life expectancy into pension withdrawals, investment strategies, and estate planning to ensure financial stability throughout retirement.
How can I calculate my life expectancy?
Using data from the Office for National Statistics, our interactive calculator allows you to calculate your life expectancy in addition to your chance of living to be 100 years old. All you need to do is enter your age and sex into the calculator to find out your life expectancy.
UK life expectancy calculator
Use our interactive tool to estimate your life expectancy and your probability of living to 100. Enter your age and sex to see your personalised results.
UK life expectancy map
In addition to our calculator, our UK Life Expectancy Map provides a regional breakdown of life expectancy trends across the country. Life expectancy can vary significantly depending on factors such as location, socioeconomic background, and lifestyle.
How long will you stay healthy in retirement?
Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) refers to the number of years a person can expect to live in “good” general health - meaning free from long-term illness or disability.
While overall life expectancy tells us how long we are likely to live, HLE is often more important for financial planning. A longer life does not always mean a healthier one, and many people spend the later years of their life managing health conditions - something that has a direct impact on retirement savings, care costs, and quality of life.
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) report (2021-2023) reveals shocking declines in healthy life expectancy across most of the UK, raising serious concerns about financial preparedness for retirement.
Healthy life expectancy has fallen across the UK.
Longer retirements don’t necessarily mean healthier ones—people may need to plan for increased healthcare costs in later life.
Men in England can now expect to spend 61.5 years in good health - down 1.7 years since before the pandemic (2017-2019).
Women in England have an HLE of 61.9 years, falling by 1.9 years.
Wales has been hit harder, with HLE dropping to 60.3 years for men (-1.1 years) and 59.6 years for women (-2.2 years).
There is a huge gap in healthy life expectancy across the UK.
Where you live has a significant impact on how long you can expect to stay healthy. In England, the difference between the best and worst areas is now 17.9 years for men and 18.2 years for women - meaning some people are spending nearly two extra decades in good health compared to others.
Highest Healthy Life Expectancy in England: Wokingham – 69.7 years (men), 70.8 years (women).
Lowest Healthy Life Expectancy in England: Blackpool – 51.7 years (men), Barnsley – 52.6 years (women).
Highest Healthy Life Expectancy in Wales: Monmouthshire – 65.9 years (both men & women).
Lowest Healthy Life Expectancy in Wales: Torfaen – 54.9 years (men), 53.3 years (women).
The rich-poor health gap is growing faster than ever.
The difference in healthy life expectancy between the highest and lowest-ranked areas in England has increased by 22% since 2011. In Wales, the gap has widened by 13.3% for men and 16.5% for women over the same period.
Wealthier areas are living longer and healthier lives, meaning those in high-income regions may need to plan for an extra decade or more of retirement expenses.
Conversely, those in lower-income areas face shorter healthy lives but may need financial protection earlier due to health-related work limitations.
UK healthy life expectancy map.
How do these figures affect retirement planning?
With increasing life expectancy but declining healthy life expectancy, your financial plans must account for:
Longer retirements: Your savings may need to last 30-40 years if retiring at 65.
Healthcare & care costs: Declining HLE means more people will need private medical care or assisted living in later years.
Regional variations: If you live in a high-HLE area, you may need to plan for a longer period of financial independence.
A financial backstop: Those in lower-HLE areas may need income protection or early retirement strategies.
Conclusion.
Healthy life expectancy is falling, the North-South health divide is growing, and the financial burden of a longer retirement is increasing. Now more than ever, financial planning must consider not just how long you live, but how long you stay healthy.
With declining healthy life expectancy, it’s essential to ensure your finances can support both your retirement lifestyle and potential care needs.
What’s next?
Are you financially prepared for a longer retirement and the rising costs of care? Our Chartered Financial Planners (IFAs) are on hand to offer expert advice on:
Care fees planning: Ensure you or your loved ones receive the best possible care without jeopardising your finances.
Pension planning: Make the most of your retirement savings and avoid running out of money later in life.
Investment advice: Grow and protect your wealth to support a long and healthy future.
Book your free initial consultation today to speak to one of our Chartered Financial Planners to get personalised guidance. You can visit us in Tunbridge Wells, Kent or speak to us remotely – we advise clients across the UK.
Locally, we serve clients across Kent, including Ashford, Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge. In East Sussex, we have clients in Bexhill, Crowborough, Eastbourne, Hastings, Heathfield and Uckfield.
Don't forget, this article offers general financial information and should not be taken as personal advice. Remember that investments and pensions can go up and down in value, so you could get back less than you put in. Tax rules can change and will depend on your individual circumstances.