Healthy life expectancy: what it means
The average number of years a person can expect to live in good health, based on current death rates and people's own rating of their health.
Healthy life expectancy estimates how many years a person would live in "very good" or "good" general health, based on current mortality rates and how people describe their own health in surveys. The ONS publishes it for the UK, its nations and local areas, alongside life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy.
Why it matters when checking a claim
- A period measure. Like life expectancy, it describes current conditions, not a prediction for anyone born today.
- Self-reported. It relies on survey answers, which can change with expectations and survey methods, so small changes may not be meaningful.
- Gaps between areas. Differences between the most and least deprived areas are often larger for healthy life expectancy than for life expectancy. Local figures have wide confidence intervals.
- Multi-year periods. Estimates are for three-year periods, which smooths out year-to-year changes.
See what is the life expectancy in the UK.
Also searched as: HLE, healthy life expectancy uk, disability-free life expectancy, years in good health
Questions that use this term
- What is the life expectancy in the UK?
- How do I find life expectancy in my area?
- Is the UK population ageing?
Related terms
- Confidence interval: A range around an estimate that shows how much it could vary because it comes from a sample. A 95% interval is the usual standard.
- Age-standardised rate: A rate adjusted to a standard population age structure, so that places or years with older or younger populations can be compared fairly.
- Cohort: A group of people who share a starting point, such as being born in the same year or starting school together, followed over time.
More health and population terms: Incidence and prevalence · Cohort · Net migration · Referral to treatment (RTT) · Elective care · Four-hour A&E standard · Ambulance response categories · Waiting list pathways · No criteria to reside · Asylum backlog · Asylum grant rate · Irregular migration (illegal entry routes).