A female born in the UK in 2022 to 2024 could expect to live 83.0 years and a male 79.1 years, on the latest period life tables from the Office for National Statistics (ONS National Life Tables, UK, 2022 to 2024, published 10 December 2025).
Life expectancy is one of the quieter drivers of estate planning. How long people may live, and how many of those years are likely to be in good health, shapes when families think about a will, a lasting power of attorney, later-life care and inheritance tax. This piece gathers the current UK statistics from named official sources and offers some hedged, general reading of what they can and cannot tell you. Every figure is dated and linked to its source, and the numbers are period estimates that can change with each release.
Key figures at a glance
On the most recent official data, UK life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years for females and 79.1 years for males Source: ons.gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change., while healthy life expectancy is close to 61 years for both Source: ons.gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change.. Fewer than one in twenty deaths currently results in an inheritance tax charge Source: gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change.. Each statistic below carries its named source and reference period.
| Measure | Figure | Source & period |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth, females (UK) | 83.0 years | ONS National Life Tables, 2022 to 2024 |
| Life expectancy at birth, males (UK) | 79.1 years | ONS National Life Tables, 2022 to 2024 |
| Further life expectancy at age 65, females | 21.2 years | ONS National Life Tables, 2022 to 2024 |
| Further life expectancy at age 65, males | 18.7 years | ONS National Life Tables, 2022 to 2024 |
| Healthy life expectancy at birth, females | 60.9 years | ONS Health State Life Expectancies, 2022 to 2024 |
| Healthy life expectancy at birth, males | 60.7 years | ONS Health State Life Expectancies, 2022 to 2024 |
| UK deaths resulting in an inheritance tax charge | 4.62% | HMRC IHT liabilities statistics, 2022 to 2023 |
| Taxpaying inheritance tax estates (UK) | 31,500 | HMRC IHT liabilities statistics, 2022 to 2023 |
Reference periods as published. ONS life-table figures are for 2022 to 2024; HMRC figures are for the 2022 to 2023 tax year (page updated 31 July 2025). Estimates are subject to revision at each release.
UK life expectancy at birth
Life expectancy at birth in the UK stands at 83.0 years for females and 79.1 years for males, on ONS period life tables for 2022 to 2024 (ONS National Life Tables, 2022 to 2024, published 10 December 2025). A period life table assumes today's mortality rates hold for the rest of a person's life, so it is a summary of current conditions rather than a forecast for any one individual.
| Sex | Life expectancy at birth (UK) | Reference period |
|---|---|---|
| Females | 83.0 years | 2022 to 2024 |
| Males | 79.1 years | 2022 to 2024 |
Source: ONS National Life Tables, UK, 2022 to 2024 (published 10 December 2025). Figures subject to change at future releases.
Life expectancy at age 65
For estate planning, the figure at age 65 is often more telling than the one at birth, because it describes people already approaching later life. On the 2022 to 2024 tables, a woman aged 65 in the UK could expect to live a further 21.2 years, and a man a further 18.7 years (ONS National Life Tables, 2022 to 2024, published 10 December 2025).
| Sex | Further years expected at age 65 | Reference period |
|---|---|---|
| Females | 21.2 years | 2022 to 2024 |
| Males | 18.7 years | 2022 to 2024 |
Source: ONS National Life Tables, UK, 2022 to 2024 (published 10 December 2025). These are averages across the population and say nothing about any single person; figures subject to change.
Healthy life expectancy
Healthy life expectancy is the average number of years a person might expect to live in "good" general health. In the UK it was 60.9 years for females and 60.7 years for males over 2022 to 2024 (ONS Health State Life Expectancies, UK, 2022 to 2024, published 19 February 2026). The gap between total and healthy life expectancy is the part many later-life plans quietly address.
ONS reports that this was the lowest healthy life expectancy since the series began in 2011 to 2013, with decreases of 1.8 years for males and 2.5 years for females compared with 2019 to 2021 (ONS Health State Life Expectancies, 2022 to 2024, published 19 February 2026). A fall of this kind can reflect changes in both mortality and self-reported health, and single-period comparisons are best read with caution.
| Measure | Females | Males | Reference period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy life expectancy at birth (UK) | 60.9 years | 60.7 years | 2022 to 2024 |
Source: ONS Health State Life Expectancies, UK, 2022 to 2024 (published 19 February 2026). Based on self-reported general health; figures subject to change.
How many estates actually face inheritance tax
Longer lives and rising asset values sit behind a common worry about inheritance tax, yet the share of estates that pay it stays small. In the 2022 to 2023 tax year, 4.62% of UK deaths resulted in an inheritance tax charge, covering 31,500 taxpaying estates, and HMRC notes the tax is payable on fewer than one in twenty estates (HMRC Inheritance Tax liabilities statistics, 2022 to 2023, updated 31 July 2025).
The tax-free thresholds help explain why. Each person has a nil-rate band of £325,000, plus a residence nil-rate band of up to £175,000 where a home passes to direct descendants, and unused bands can transfer to a surviving spouse or civil partner, so a couple may pass on up to £1,000,000 in some cases before the 40% rate applies (gov.uk/inheritance-tax, as at July 2026, subject to change). These thresholds are frozen to the end of the 2030-31 tax year (5 April 2031) (gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change), so the share of estates affected may rise over time as values grow.
What the numbers mean
Read together, the figures point to a long later-life stage that is not all lived in good health. A UK woman reaching 65 has, on average, more than two further decades ahead, yet healthy life expectancy across the population is close to 61 (ONS Health State Life Expectancies, 2022 to 2024, published 19 February 2026).
Averages hide a great deal. Period life tables assume current mortality continues, they differ by area and circumstance, and they cannot tell any individual how long they will live. With that caveat, a few general observations tend to follow, and none of them is advice for any particular person's situation:
- Time for capacity to change. Long lifespans mean many people spend years during which a lasting power of attorney could matter. Many people choose to consider one while they still have full mental capacity (gov.uk/power-of-attorney, as at July 2026).
- Care costs are a real possibility. The gap between total and healthy life expectancy is where later-life care can arise. Care fees planning, meaning steps that may help limit or mitigate the impact of care costs, is one area some people discuss with a qualified adviser. Local authorities apply deprivation of assets rules, and deliberately giving away assets to reduce a care assessment can be challenged, so this is not a route to deliberately avoid care fees (gov.uk, paying for your care, as at July 2026).
- Frozen thresholds, growing estates. With inheritance tax bands fixed to 2030-31 (gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change), a slowly rising number of estates may come into charge, even though the current share is small.
- Plans age. Because the statistics and the rules both move, a plan written years ago may no longer reflect either. Many people review their arrangements periodically rather than once.
Life expectancy describes the population, not the person. It is useful for framing the questions a plan should ask, not for answering them on anyone's behalf.
For a fuller walk through the documents these numbers touch, our estate planning guide explains how wills, trusts, powers of attorney and tax planning fit together, and Inheritance Tax Explained covers the thresholds in more depth.
Life expectancy and estate planning across the UK
The headline life-expectancy statistics on this page are UK-wide, and ONS also publishes separate figures for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (ONS National Life Tables, 2022 to 2024, published 10 December 2025). The planning rules differ by nation too.
This article describes the law of England and Wales. Scotland has its own succession law, including legal rights that can give a spouse and children a fixed share of an estate, and it uses confirmation rather than a grant of probate. Northern Ireland has a separate but broadly similar system to England and Wales. Where an estate touches more than one jurisdiction, it can be worth taking advice in each.
Sources and methodology
Every statistic on this page comes from a named official source and was checked against the live publication. Life-expectancy figures are ONS period estimates for 2022 to 2024; inheritance tax figures are HMRC statistics for the 2022 to 2023 tax year. Period life tables summarise current mortality rather than forecasting any individual's lifespan.
- ONS National Life Tables, UK, 2022 to 2024 (published 10 December 2025): life expectancy at birth and at age 65 by sex. ons.gov.uk
- ONS Health State Life Expectancies, UK, 2022 to 2024 (published 19 February 2026): healthy life expectancy at birth by sex. ons.gov.uk
- HMRC Inheritance Tax liabilities statistics, 2022 to 2023 (updated 31 July 2025): share of deaths with an IHT charge and number of taxpaying estates. gov.uk
- gov.uk Inheritance Tax (as at July 2026, subject to change): thresholds and rates. gov.uk/inheritance-tax and the nil-rate band freeze.
For a practical next step, our estate planning checklist sets out the documents and questions people often work through.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current life expectancy in the UK?
On the latest official period life tables, life expectancy at birth in the UK is 83.0 years for females and 79.1 years for males, for 2022 to 2024 (ONS National Life Tables, 2022 to 2024, published 10 December 2025). These are population averages based on current mortality rates and are subject to change at future releases.
How long is a 65-year-old expected to live in the UK?
A woman aged 65 in the UK could expect to live a further 21.2 years and a man a further 18.7 years, on the 2022 to 2024 period life tables (ONS National Life Tables, 2022 to 2024, published 10 December 2025). This is an average across the population and cannot predict any individual's lifespan; figures are subject to change.
What is healthy life expectancy in the UK?
Healthy life expectancy at birth in the UK was 60.9 years for females and 60.7 years for males over 2022 to 2024, based on self-reported general health (ONS Health State Life Expectancies, 2022 to 2024, published 19 February 2026). ONS reports this as the lowest since the series began in 2011 to 2013. Figures are subject to change.
How many people pay inheritance tax in the UK?
Inheritance tax remains uncommon. In the 2022 to 2023 tax year, 4.62% of UK deaths resulted in an IHT charge, across 31,500 taxpaying estates, and HMRC notes it is payable on fewer than one in twenty estates (HMRC IHT liabilities statistics, 2022 to 2023, updated 31 July 2025). The share may rise while thresholds stay frozen; figures are subject to change.
Does life expectancy differ across the UK nations?
Yes. ONS publishes life expectancy for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland alongside the UK-wide figures (ONS National Life Tables, 2022 to 2024, published 10 December 2025). Estate planning rules also differ: Scotland has its own succession law, and Northern Ireland a separate but broadly similar system to England and Wales.
Why does life expectancy matter for estate planning?
Life expectancy helps frame how long a plan may need to work and how many later-life years might involve reduced health or care. It is general context rather than a personal prediction. Because both the statistics and the rules change, many people choose to review their arrangements periodically and to discuss their circumstances with a qualified professional.