Why Healthy Life Years Matter More Than Lifespan
Healthy life years matter more than lifespan alone, with a new report suggesting that living longer is only beneficial if those additional years are spent in good health. The report also explores how the UK, Ireland, and EU countries compare on healthy ageing, finding that Ireland leads compared to parts of the UK.
Key Takeaways
- A new report highlights the significance of healthy life years over lifespan alone.
- Ireland leads on healthy life years across the UK and Ireland.
- Healthy life expectancy is stagnating or declining across parts of the UK.
- Sweden’s harm-reduction approach offers a model for the UK to follow.
What Healthy Life Years Tell Us About Longevity
A new report by Dr Nima Sanandaji, "UK and Ireland longevity trends can be boosted by Swedish-style tobacco policies", examines trends in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy across the UK, Ireland, and the European Union.
The analysis compares national and regional outcomes and explores links between health and economic productivity.
Most importantly, it also highlights how healthy life years, and not simply lifespan, provide a more meaningful measure of longevity.
The Difference Between Longevity and Healthy Life Years
Longevity is often measured through life expectancy, but Dr Sanandaji argues that healthy life years provide a broader picture.
Healthy life years estimate how long people can expect to live before illness or disability significantly affects their quality of life.
"Longevity is not about extending the unhealthy life years at the end of life, but rather about encouraging more healthy life years."
The report’s position is that longevity efforts should focus on extending healthy and active years, rather than merely increasing lifespan with years that may be lived in poor health.
Ireland Outperforms the UK Nations on Healthy Life Years
Ireland consistently performs strongest within the UK and Ireland grouping.
For 50-year-old men, expected healthy life years reach 71.7 years in Ireland, ahead of England (71.2), Northern Ireland (70.8), Wales (70.5), and Scotland (70.2).
Over the past decade, healthy life expectancy has risen in Ireland, while it has fallen in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
The downward trend is even starker for women:
“For women, across the UK and Ireland, there is an even stronger trend of decreased healthy life expectancy.”
Across the past decade, expected healthy life years for 50-year-old women have decreased annually by:
- 0.01 years (England)
- 0.02 years (Wales)
- 0.04 years (Northern Ireland, Ireland)
- 0.08 years (Scotland)
When it comes to total life expectancy, Ireland has the highest expected lifespan for both men and women, while the UK nations lag behind several European countries.
Regional Inequality Remains a Major Challenge
While capital regions perform strongly, national averages conceal significant disparities.
For example, London outperforms English regions by a wide margin, while Edinburgh and Belfast similarly lead their surrounding areas.
In Scotland, for example, there are major differences between places such as East Renfrewshire and Glasgow City.
These differences show that where people live can have a significant impact on both longevity and quality of life, even within the same country.
Final Thoughts
The report’s central message is clear: longevity should be judged by healthy life years, not simply by how long people live.
And with smoking a “major influencer of lifespan, including healthy lifespan”, it’s clear where the UK’s challenges lie.
"There is a strong need to boost healthy life years in the UK. Adopting Swedish-style tobacco policies could contribute to that goal."
The report highlights Sweden’s approach to harm reduction, where stricter measures on smoking are combined with greater availability of lower-risk nicotine alternatives.
For Dr Sanandaji, this is a potential model for improving public health outcomes that the UK and Ireland could follow.
