Health Equity North 2023

Health Equity North has produced this status report which provides a snapshot of the key health issues facing the North of England.

This report has been created to understand the impact of the past few years on health in the North of England and to explore the opportunities for levelling up health, improving productivity across the country, and reducing regional inequalities. Health Equity North will produce annual updates of health in the North to help - and challenge – local and national policy makers in their efforts to reduce regional inequalities.

Analysing the latest available data on life expectancy, infant mortality, self-assessed health, disability, and unpaid care, it suggests that the health divide between the North and the rest of England is large and increasing.

The North does considerably worse than other regions and this also has productivity costs with above average rates of economic inactivity due to ill health or disability across the North.

Now, more than ever, action is required to address these regional health inequalities and improve productivity.