Healthy life expectancy

Healthy life expectancy (HLE) adds value to life expectancy by introducing an element of quality of life and indicates the amount of time a person will live in good health (rather than with a disability or in poor health). 

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes healthy life expectancy (HLE) estimates for the average lifespan spent in a favourable state of health, based on self-assessed general health. 

Studies have shown that people in poorer areas not only die sooner, but they will also spend more of their lives living with a disability or living with chronic illness. For society to have a healthy population it is essential to take action to both raise the general level of health and flatten the social gradient.

Key findings

The figures below refer to the 2022-2024 period unless stated.

  • Healthy life expectancy at birth for both males (59.3years) and females (60.3 years) in Lancashire is statistically similar to England (60.9 years and 61.3 years respectively).
  • Blackburn with Darwen (54 years) and Blackpool (50.9 years) both have HLE at birth for males that is significantly worse than England. For females, HLE at birth is significantly worse than England in both Blackburn with Darwen (54.4 years) and Blackpool (51.8 years).
  • HLE for the Lancashire-14 area is consistently below retirement age, indicating degrees of ill health among the working-age population and suggesting many residents are not able to enjoy their retirement in good health.
  • In Lancashire Healthy life expectancy at 65 for males (9.2 years) and females (10.5 years) is statistically similar to England (10.1 years and 11.1 years respectively). Again, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool have significantly lower HLE at 65 when compared with England at 8.4 years and 7.9 years for females and 7.5 years and 6.7 years for males respectively.
  • The Slope index of inequality (SII) in HLE measures the gradient in HLE across the least to most deprived small areas in an authority. Analysis shows very substantial inequalities for females and males in Lancashire-12 (females 15.6 years, males 15.8 years), Blackburn with Darwen (17.5, 18.0) and Blackpool (14.5, 16.6) (2009-13).

For county and unitary data and further information please see below (data are not available at district level). Please select the geography type to see what indicators are available as not all are provided across the different footprints.

If the area has defaulted to 'Counties & UAs in North East region', click on the down arrowhead next to 'Geography', select 'Region' and then 'North West'. This is an issue which is not within our control, apologies.

Page updated May 2026