Official Statistics

Health Inequalities Dashboard: statistical commentary, September 2025

Updated 18 September 2025

Applies to England

Introduction

The Health Inequalities Dashboard presents evidence of health inequalities in England, English regions and local authorities.

Measures of health inequality are provided for 21 indicators to monitor progress on reducing inequalities within England. These indicators are mostly drawn from the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF).

New in this update

Indicators of inequality in healthy life expectancy and deaths from suicide have been updated. Two new indicators on physically active and physically inactive adults have been added.

Main findings 

The results below refer to people living in the most and least deprived areas of England. These are defined using small, neighbourhood areas known as lower super output areas.

Adult physical activity and inactivity

In England in 2023 to 2024, 67% of adults were physically active but this proportion was lower in more deprived areas. For people living in the most deprived tenth of small areas in England, only 54% of people were physically active, while this figure was 75% for people living in England’s least deprived tenth of areas. 

Between 2015 to 2016 and 2023 to 2024, the proportion of physically active adults decreased in the most deprived areas and increased in the least deprived areas. The absolute level of inequality between most and least deprived therefore increased significantly between these years.

In 2023 to 2024, 35% of adults living in the most deprived areas of England were physically inactive, while for those in the least deprived areas the proportion was only 15%. The England average in 2023 to 2024 was 22%.

Between 2015 to 2016 and 2023 to 2024, the proportion of physically inactive adults increased in the most deprived areas of England and decreased in the least deprived areas, thus significantly widening the absolute level of inequality over this period. In 2023 to 2024, the level of physical inactivity for adults in the most deprived areas was 2.3 times higher than for those in the least deprived areas.

Deaths from suicide

The suicide rate in England in the 3 year period 2020 to 2022 was 10.3 deaths per 100,000 population, but the rate for people living in the most deprived areas of England (14.8 per 100,000) was almost double the rate for those in the least deprived areas (7.8 per 100,000). However, relative inequality between the most and least deprived areas has reduced over time, as measured by the relative index of inequality. In 2011 to 2013, the suicide rate was 2.1 times higher in the most deprived areas. This reduced to 1.8 times higher in 2020 to 2022.

Healthy life expectancy

In 2020 to 2022, the gap in healthy life expectancy (HLE) between those living in the most and least deprived areas of England was around 20 years for both sexes (19.1 and 20.2 years for male and female HLE respectively, as measured by the slope index of inequality).

While males living in the most deprived areas of England in 2020 to 2022 could only expect to spend 51.1 years in good health, those in the least deprived areas could expect to live 70.1 years in good health.

For females, the expectation of years in good health was 50.5 years in the most deprived areas and 70.2 years in the least deprived areas.

The gap between most and least deprived has not changed significantly for either sex since the start of the time series in 2013 to 2015.

Definitions

Absolute and relative inequality

Levels of inequality can be monitored using either absolute or relative measures, and for many of the indicators in the dashboard, data is presented for both.

Absolute inequality is calculated by subtracting a lower value from a higher value, for example mortality rate for most deprived minus mortality rate for least deprived.

Relative inequality is calculating by dividing a higher value by a lower value, for example mortality rate for most deprived divided by mortality rate for least deprived.

Within the Health Inequalities Dashboard, statistical measures are used to summarise absolute and relative inequality (the slope index of inequality and relative index of inequality). These measures take account of inequalities across all levels of deprivation within an area, rather than just looking at the difference between the most and least deprived deciles of population. More detail can be found in the definitions section of the dashboard.

Physical inactivity and activity

The percentage of physically inactive adults are those aged 19 and over, doing less than 30 moderate intensity equivalent minutes physical activity per week in bouts of 10 minutes or more in the previous 28 days.

In contrast, the percentage of physically active adults (aged 19 and over) are those doing at least 150 moderate intensity equivalent minutes physical activity per week in bouts of 10 minutes or more in the previous 28 days.

Healthy life expectancy

This is a summary measure of health that considers quality of life in estimates of life expectancy by dividing expected lifespan into time spent in different states of health. Healthy life expectancy measures health-related wellbeing and represents the average time an individual is expected to live in ‘very good’ or ‘good’ health, as opposed to ‘fair, ‘bad’, or ‘very bad’ health, based on how individuals perceive their general health.

Methodology

Details of the methods used to produce indicators are provided in the definitions tab above charts in the data section of the Health Inequalities Dashboard.

Further information

For queries about this publication email pha-ohid@dhsc.gov.uk.