Question 1

What is the life expectancy in the UK?

Accepted Answer

The ONS national life tables , published 10 December 2025, put life expectancy at birth in the UK at 79.1 years for males and 83.0 years for females in 2022 to 2024. Female life expectancy was back at its 2017 to 2019 level; male life expectancy was slightly below it. These are period figures: they assume today's death rates apply for a person's whole life, so they are not a forecast of how long a baby born now will live. Cohort figures, which allow for future improvements, are higher. Healthy life expectancy , the years expected in "good" health, was 60.7 years for males and 60.9 for females in 2022 to 2024, the lowest since that series began in 2011 to 2013. Life expectancy varies widely between areas; see life expectancy in your area .

Question 2

How many people die in the UK each year?

Accepted Answer

The ONS reported 570,988 deaths registered in England and Wales in 2025, up 0.4% on 2024, in its death registration bulletin published 25 September 2026. The age-standardised mortality rate, which allows for the size and age of the population, was the lowest since the series began in 1994. Scotland and Northern Ireland register deaths separately, through National Records of Scotland and NISRA , so a UK total means adding the three. The ONS also publishes infant mortality : 3.9 deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births in England and Wales in 2024. Check whether a figure counts deaths registered in a year or deaths that occurred in it; deaths referred to a coroner can take months to register. A rising number of deaths can sit alongside a falling death rate as the population ages.

Question 3

What is the leading cause of death in the UK?

Accepted Answer

Dementia and Alzheimer's disease were the leading cause of death in England and Wales in 2025, with 72,272 deaths (12.7% of all deaths), according to the ONS death registration bulletin of 25 September 2026. The ranking differs by sex: dementia led for females, while ischaemic heart diseases led for males (12.2% of male deaths). Among younger adults, external causes such as suicide and accidents rank higher. The ONS ranks causes using a standard list of grouped causes, so the answer depends on how causes are grouped. All cancers together cause more deaths than dementia, but they are split into separate types in the ranking. National Records of Scotland and NISRA publish their own rankings. When checking a claim, look at which list, which year, and whether it uses the underlying cause of death or any mention on the death certificate.

Question 4

How many drug deaths are there in the UK?

Accepted Answer

In England and Wales, the ONS reported 5,565 deaths related to drug poisoning registered in 2024, of which 3,736 were classed as drug misuse, in its bulletin of 17 October 2025. In Scotland, National Records of Scotland reported 1,133 drug use deaths registered in 2025, an age-standardised rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people. The definitions differ. "Drug poisoning" includes accidental and deliberate poisonings involving any drug, including prescribed medicines; "drug misuse" is a narrower subset. NRS uses its own "drug use deaths" definition, but switches to the wider drug poisoning definition when comparing UK countries; on that basis Scotland has had the highest rate in the UK for the last decade. These figures are by year of registration, which can lag the death by months because of inquests. Check the definition and the basis before comparing countries or years.

Question 5

How many Covid deaths were there in the UK?

Accepted Answer

The UK Health Security Agency's data dashboard publishes deaths with COVID-19 mentioned on the death certificate, by date and area, alongside cases, hospital admissions and vaccination. The ONS publishes deaths involving COVID-19 from death registrations for England and Wales in its deaths statistics . Two definitions are common. "Deaths involving COVID-19" means it was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate; "deaths due to COVID-19" means it was the underlying cause. Early in the pandemic the government also counted deaths within 28 days of a positive test, which is a third measure and gives different totals. Totals for "the pandemic" depend on the start and end dates chosen. For deaths above normal levels from all causes, see excess deaths .

Question 6

What are excess deaths?

Accepted Answer

Excess deaths are the difference between the number of deaths registered and the number that would be expected for that time of year, given the size and age of the population. The ONS publishes them weekly for England and Wales in its weekly deaths dashboard , which replaced the weekly bulletin in July 2025. The result depends on how "expected" deaths are estimated. In February 2024 the ONS and the other UK statistics bodies moved to a new method that models trends in population and mortality rather than using a simple five-year average, which changed earlier estimates. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities ran a separate England analysis that is no longer updated. Weekly figures are provisional and affected by bank holidays and registration delays, so a single week rarely settles a claim. Check the method, the period and whether figures are by registration or occurrence date.

Question 7

What is the suicide rate in the UK?

Accepted Answer

The ONS reported 6,162 suicides registered in England and Wales in 2025, an age-standardised rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people, similar to 2024, in its suicides bulletin published 13 October 2026. The rate for males (17.5 per 100,000) was about three times that for females (5.5). Suicide deaths need a coroner's inquest, so many are registered a year or more after they happen. Figures by year of registration can therefore move for reasons unrelated to when deaths occurred; the ONS publishes both. Scotland's figures come from National Records of Scotland and Northern Ireland's from NISRA , with some differences in definitions. If you are struggling, the NHS lists sources of help, including Samaritans on 116 123.

Question 8

What is the obesity rate in the UK?

Accepted Answer

Adult obesity in England is measured by the Health Survey for England , published by NHS England, which weighs and measures a sample of adults each year. Child obesity comes from the National Child Measurement Programme , which measures nearly all children in Reception and Year 6 in state schools. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own health surveys, so UK-wide figures are usually built from four sources with different years and methods. The OHID obesity, physical activity and nutrition profile gives local authority figures for England. Check whether a figure is for obesity alone (a BMI of 30 or more) or obesity and overweight combined, which gives a much higher share. Self-reported height and weight, used in some surveys, tends to understate obesity compared with measured data.

Question 9

What are vaccination rates in the UK?

Accepted Answer

Childhood vaccination coverage in England is published by the UK Health Security Agency through the COVER programme , which reports the share of children vaccinated by ages 1, 2 and 5, quarterly and annually. The annual report for April 2025 to March 2026 was published on 13 October 2026. UKHSA also publishes vaccine uptake reports for flu, COVID-19, HPV, shingles and other programmes, and its data dashboard shows some of these by area. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish their own figures through their public health bodies. Check the age at which coverage is measured and which dose: coverage of the first MMR dose at age 2 is higher than coverage of both doses at age 5. Targets such as 95% refer to specific vaccines and ages.

Question 10

How many people die from alcohol each year in the UK?

Accepted Answer

The ONS reported 9,809 deaths from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK in 2024, a rate of 14.8 per 100,000 people, in its bulletin of 11 May 2026. Scotland and Northern Ireland had the highest rates of the four UK countries. "Alcohol-specific" deaths are those wholly caused by alcohol, such as alcoholic liver disease. They leave out deaths where alcohol is one contributing factor, such as some cancers, accidents and heart disease. Estimates of "alcohol-related" deaths include a share of those and are much higher, so check which measure a claim uses. Local rates for England are in the OHID Fingertips local alcohol profiles. For drug deaths, see drug deaths .

Question 11

How do I find life expectancy in my area?

Accepted Answer

The ONS publishes life expectancy for local areas of the UK for every local authority, as three-year averages with confidence intervals. In 2022 to 2024 the highest male life expectancy in England was in Hart (83.7 years) and the lowest in Blackpool (73.7 years), according to the release of 10 December 2025. For smaller areas and related measures, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities' Fingertips public health profiles let you compare a local authority with its region and England on life expectancy, causes of death and risk factors. Healthy life expectancy by area is in the ONS health state life expectancy release. Gaps between areas are wide, but small areas have wide margins of error, so check the confidence intervals before comparing two places or ranking them.

Deaths, life expectancy and public health: your questions answered