Health Index

The Health Index provides a single value for health in England and local authorities each year that can be broken down into different areas of health. This allows to understand any changes over time or differences between areas.

The Index uses a broad definition that aligns with the World Health Organisation's definition of health: “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".

The Index is split into the following three domains (each domain contains subdomains and indicators):

1. Healthy People focusing on health outcomes (Pe)
2. Healthy Lives focusing on health-related behaviours and personal circumstances (L)
3. Healthy Places focusing on wider determinants of health, environmental factors (Pl)

The subdomains represent overarching topics related to their respective domain and are made up of indicators. The Health Index is, therefore, comprised of 56 indicators, summarised into 14 subdomains, 3 domains and then an overall score for each geographical area.

Select a local authority area in the interactive map below to view results for the Health Index overall, as well as the different domains, subdomains and indicators within it. A separate How health has changed in your local area article highlights some of the main findings in each area.

Page updated June 2023