Fewer than one in 10 men, and only 16 per cent of women, in the UK are likely to be good health by the time they reach retirement, according to new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research a think-tank.
Most people’s “healthy life expectancy” falls short of the state pension age, which is currently 66 and will rise to 67 by 2028, according to a report produced in partnership with Future Health, a policy consultancy.
The research, published on Tuesday, drew a strong link between high levels of illness and a weakened economy, highlighting a geographical divide in which people living in the wealthiest local authorities are more likely to have a healthy life expectancy that exceeds their pension age than those born in areas with high levels of deprivation, such as Blackpool and Nottingham.