People living in the most deprived areas of England are 2.3 times more likely to die before the age of 75 than people in the least deprived areas, according to analysis published by the Health Foundation on Tuesday 10 November 2026. In the most deprived areas the premature death rate is 815 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with 353 per 100,000 in the least deprived areas.

The analysis, based on data produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the Health Foundation, used demographic data from Census 2021 matched with deaths recorded from March 2021 to December 2023. It covered adults in England aged 18 to 74 who took part in the census. Premature mortality means dying before the age of 75.

Education, jobs and region all matter

The gap is not only about where people live. Women with no qualifications had a premature mortality rate 2.5 times higher than women with a degree or higher. Men who are long-term unemployed or have never worked faced a rate 3.5 times as high as men in higher managerial, administrative and professional jobs.

The divide was widest in the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and The Humber, and narrowest in London. For women who have never worked or are long-term unemployed, the rate was 796 deaths per 100,000 in the north-west, 72 per cent higher than in London, where it was 462 per 100,000.

The analysis also found differences by ethnic group. Black Caribbean men had the highest male rate of premature death, at 573 per 100,000, followed by White British men at 537, while Chinese men had the lowest, at 284. Among women, White British and Black Caribbean groups had the highest rates, at 370 and 367 per 100,000, while Chinese women recorded the lowest, at 181.

Call for action across government

Freya Tracey, principal data analyst at the Health Foundation, said the findings “lay bare the scale of the inequalities that continue to shape people's chances of living a long and healthy life”, and that where someone lives should not determine their risk of dying early. She called for a cross-government approach to improve education, employment and local economic conditions, warning that “without sustained action, inequalities will continue to cut lives short”.

Jabeer Butt, chief executive of the Race Equality Foundation, which published an accompanying report using the same data, said lower rates in some ethnic groups do not mean better health or that racism is unimportant. “What our analysis shows is that we need to look beyond ethnicity alone, to understand how migration, poverty, employment, housing and discrimination interact to shape people's chances of living a long and healthy life,” he said.

The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment. Read the full analysis on the Health Foundation website and the report of the findings.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a premature death? In this analysis, premature mortality means dying before the age of 75, measured as deaths per 100,000 people in one year.

Where is the gap widest? The divide is widest in the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and The Humber, and narrowest in London.