Key facts
- The Health Foundation said people in the most deprived areas of England had a premature death risk 2.3 times that of the least deprived.
- The analysis put the rate at 815 premature deaths per 100,000 people in the most deprived areas and 353 in the least deprived.
- Women with no qualifications had a premature mortality rate 2.5 times higher than those with a degree or higher, the foundation said.
- Men who were long-term unemployed or had never worked had a rate 3.5 times that of men in higher managerial and professional occupations.
- The north-west rate for females who never worked or were long-term unemployed was 796 per 100,000, 72% above London's 462.
People living in the most deprived areas of England were 2.3 times as likely to die before their 75th birthday as those in the least deprived areas, according to an analysis by the Health Foundation published on November 10, 2026. The rate was 815 premature deaths per 100,000 people in the most deprived areas, compared with 353 per 100,000 in the least deprived, the foundation said.
The research used demographic data from the 2021 census and deaths from March 2021 to December 2023. It defined premature mortality as any adult who died before their 75th birthday.
Women with no qualifications had a premature mortality rate 2.5 times higher than women with a degree or higher, the analysis found. Men who were long-term unemployed or had never worked had a rate 3.5 times as high as men in higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations.
Inequalities were highest in the north-east, north-west and Yorkshire and The Humber, and lowest in London, according to the analysis. For females who had never worked or were long-term unemployed, the rate was 796 deaths per 100,000 in the north-west, 72% higher than London's 462 per 100,000.
By ethnicity, Black Caribbean men had the highest male rate at 573 deaths per 100,000, closely followed by white British men at 537, while Chinese men had the lowest at 284. White British and Black Caribbean women had the highest female rates at 370 and 367 per 100,000 respectively, and Chinese women the lowest at 181.
Freya Tracey, principal data analyst at the Health Foundation, said: "These findings lay bare the scale of the inequalities that continue to shape people's chances of living a long and healthy life." She called for a cross-government approach covering education, employment and local economic conditions.
Jabeer Butt, chief executive at the Race Equality Foundation, said lower premature mortality in some ethnic groups does not mean they experience better health or that racism is unimportant. The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.