Death rates in the UK follow a clear pattern by age: relatively higher in the first year of life, at their lowest through childhood, then rising steadily through adulthood and steeply in old age. In 2025 there were 570,988 deaths registered in England and Wales, at an age-standardised rate of 914.6 per 100,000 people, the lowest since the series began in 1994 (ONS, England and Wales, 2025, released May 2026, subject to change).
This page pulls together the most recent official figures on how death rates vary with age across the UK. All statistics come from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and are cited at the point of use with their reference period. Figures are current as at July 2026 and may be revised as later data are published. Where a measure covers England and Wales rather than the whole UK, that is noted, because mortality is reported on slightly different bases across the four nations.
Key figures at a glance
Death rates are usually reported either as counts (the number of deaths registered) or as rates per 100,000 people, age-standardised so that years can be compared as the population ages. The table below sets out the headline UK and England and Wales figures, each with its source and reference period. Every number links to the ONS release it is taken from.
| Measure | Figure | Period & source |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths registered, England & Wales | 570,988 | 2025 (ONS), subject to change |
| Age-standardised mortality rate, all ages | 914.6 per 100,000 | 2025 (ONS), lowest since 1994, subject to change |
| Age-standardised rate, males | 1,074.8 per 100,000 | 2025 (ONS), subject to change |
| Age-standardised rate, females | 782.7 per 100,000 | 2025 (ONS), subject to change |
| Infant mortality rate (under 1) | 3.9 per 1,000 live births | 2023 (ONS), subject to change |
| Child mortality rate (ages 1 to 15) | 9 per 100,000 | 2023 (ONS), subject to change |
| Life expectancy at birth, UK (male / female) | 79.1 / 83.0 years | 2022 to 2024 (ONS), subject to change |
| Life expectancy at age 65, UK (male / female) | 18.7 / 21.2 years | 2022 to 2024 (ONS), subject to change |
Sources: ONS Death registration summary statistics, England and Wales: 2025; ONS Child and infant mortality in England and Wales: 2023; ONS National life tables, UK: 2022 to 2024. Reference periods as shown. Figures are subject to revision.
How death rates change with age
Across the age range, death rates form a broad tick shape: a higher rate in the first year of life, a fall to the lowest point in childhood, then a long rise that accelerates in old age. In 2023 the infant mortality rate (deaths under age one) was 3.9 per 1,000 live births, while the rate for children aged 1 to 15 was far lower at 9 per 100,000 (ONS, England and Wales, 2023, subject to change).
The clearest way to see the later-life gradient is through life expectancy at successive ages, which reflects the mortality rates people face beyond each point. In England and Wales for 2021 to 2023, remaining life expectancy fell from decades at birth to a few years by age 90, as the table shows.
| Exact age | Further years expected, male | Further years expected, female |
|---|---|---|
| At birth | 79.0 | 83.0 |
| At age 65 | 18.6 | 21.1 |
| At age 90 | 3.9 | 4.6 |
Source: ONS, National life tables: England and Wales, 2021 to 2023, released October 2024, subject to change. Period life expectancy, England and Wales.
A shorter remaining life expectancy at older ages reflects higher death rates at those ages. Someone aged 90 has, on average, only a few further years expected precisely because annual mortality is much higher in the late eighties and nineties than in mid-life. Death rates are generally higher for males than for females at most ages, which is why male and female figures differ throughout.
Registered deaths and the age-standardised rate
The age-standardised mortality rate (ASMR) adjusts for the age structure of the population so that trends over time are not distorted as the population ages. In 2025 the ASMR for England and Wales was 914.6 per 100,000 people, the lowest since the series began in 1994, on 570,988 registered deaths (ONS, 2025, released May 2026, subject to change). Rates differed by sex and by nation.
| Group | Age-standardised rate (2025) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| All persons, England & Wales | 914.6 per 100,000 | ONS, 2025, subject to change |
| Males | 1,074.8 per 100,000 | ONS, 2025, subject to change |
| Females | 782.7 per 100,000 | ONS, 2025, subject to change |
| England | 906.9 per 100,000 | ONS, 2025, subject to change |
| Wales | 1,008.7 per 100,000 | ONS, 2025, subject to change |
The count of deaths can stay high while the age-standardised rate falls, because a larger and older population produces more deaths even as mortality risk at each age generally declines.
Infant and child mortality
Death rates in the first year of life sit well above those in later childhood, which is why infant mortality is tracked separately. In 2023 there were 2,320 infant deaths in England and Wales, an infant mortality rate of 3.9 per 1,000 live births, with a neonatal rate (under 28 days) of 3.0 per 1,000, while the rate for children aged 1 to 15 was 9 per 100,000 on 961 deaths (ONS, England and Wales, 2023, subject to change).
These averages hide wide differences. The same ONS release records an infant mortality rate of 30.3 per 1,000 for babies with a birthweight under 2,500 grammes, against 0.8 per 1,000 for those of normal birthweight, and a rate in the most deprived tenth of areas (6.1 per 1,000) that was more than double the least deprived tenth (2.6 per 1,000) (ONS, 2023, subject to change).
Life expectancy by age
Life expectancy is the flip side of death rates: it summarises the mortality a person faces from a given age onward. On the latest UK figures, life expectancy at birth was 79.1 years for males and 83.0 years for females, and at age 65 a further 18.7 years for males and 21.2 years for females (ONS, National life tables, UK: 2022 to 2024, released December 2025, subject to change).
These are period measures, based on death rates in the three-year window rather than a forecast of any individual's lifespan. Someone reaching 65 has, on the same basis, already passed through the higher-risk earlier years, which is part of why expected years remaining at 65 are more than a fifth of a further lifetime for many people.
What the numbers mean
Read together, the figures point to two things happening at once: death rates at each age have generally been falling over the long run, yet the number of deaths stays high because the population is larger and older. The 2025 age-standardised rate was the lowest since 1994, even as registered deaths remained above 570,000 (ONS, 2025, subject to change). Because most deaths occur at older ages, the majority of estates that pass on each year belong to people who lived into later life.
That is one reason many people choose to put later-life arrangements in place well before they are needed, rather than leaving them to chance. When a death occurs, the estate usually has to be administered and, where required, taken through probate. Our guides on estate planning and on what is probate explain how those steps fit together, and our overview of deaths and estates sets the mortality data in the wider context of how estates are dealt with in the UK. None of this is advice on your circumstances; the right approach depends on your own position and is worth discussing with a qualified professional.
A note of caution on the statistics themselves. Death rates by age are averages across large populations and say nothing about any one person. They are also reported on different bases: some measures cover the whole UK, others England and Wales only, and Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their own figures through National Records of Scotland and NISRA. Comparing years or nations means checking that the measure and the reference period match.
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a named ONS release and is cited at its point of use. The measures use standard ONS definitions: registered deaths are counts of deaths registered in the calendar year; the age-standardised mortality rate is expressed per 100,000 people and adjusted to a standard population; infant mortality is deaths under age one per 1,000 live births; and life expectancy figures are period life tables based on three consecutive years of data.
- ONS, Death registration summary statistics, England and Wales: 2025 (released May 2026). Covers registered deaths and age-standardised mortality rates by sex and nation.
- ONS, Child and infant mortality in England and Wales: 2023 (released April 2025). Covers infant, neonatal and child mortality rates.
- ONS, National life tables, UK: 2022 to 2024 (released December 2025). Covers life expectancy at birth and at age 65.
- ONS, National life tables: England and Wales, 2021 to 2023 (released October 2024). Covers life expectancy at birth, age 65 and age 90.
Figures are current as at July 2026 and are subject to revision as later data are published. All rates are drawn directly from the ONS releases above without adjustment.
Frequently asked questions
What are death rates by age in the UK?
Death rates by age describe how the risk of dying varies across the age range. In the UK the rate is relatively higher in the first year of life, lowest in childhood, then rises through adulthood and steeply in old age. Infant mortality in England and Wales was 3.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023 (ONS, 2023, subject to change).
How many deaths are registered in the UK each year?
Death counts are reported separately for each UK nation. In England and Wales, 570,988 deaths were registered in 2025 at an age-standardised rate of 914.6 per 100,000, the lowest since 1994 (ONS, 2025, subject to change). Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their own totals through National Records of Scotland and NISRA.
At what age are death rates lowest in the UK?
Death rates are generally lowest in childhood. The rate for children aged 1 to 15 in England and Wales was 9 per 100,000 in 2023, well below the rate for infants under one at 3.9 per 1,000 live births and below the age-standardised all-ages rate (ONS, 2023, subject to change). Rates then rise with age.
What is the age-standardised mortality rate?
It is a death rate per 100,000 people adjusted to a standard age structure, so that trends over time are not distorted as the population ages. For England and Wales it was 914.6 per 100,000 in 2025, higher for males (1,074.8) than females (782.7) (ONS, 2025, subject to change). It lets years be compared fairly.
What is UK life expectancy by age?
Life expectancy summarises the death rates a person faces from a given age. On the latest UK figures, it was 79.1 years at birth for males and 83.0 for females, and a further 18.7 and 21.2 years at age 65 (ONS, UK, 2022 to 2024, subject to change). These are period averages, not forecasts for any individual.
How do UK death rates by age relate to estate planning?
Because most deaths occur at older ages, most estates that pass on each year belong to people who lived into later life. The data does not tell anyone when to act, but many people choose to keep a will and other arrangements up to date rather than leave them unplanned. Our estate planning guide covers the main steps; individual circumstances differ and are worth discussing with a qualified professional.