Restoring Britain’s health to 2014 levels could add 2% to GDP, thinktank says
A new report from the Health Foundation thinktank argues that restoring the UK population's health to 2014 levels would boost GDP by 2% and deliver a £72bn benefit to public finances, framing national health as an economic asset rather than simply a cost to be managed. The paper, published on Sunday, comes as healthy life expectancy has fallen over the past decade and long-term illness has become more widespread, adding pressure on the incoming government to prioritise prevention alongside NHS treatment.
The thinktank found healthy life expectancy dropped by two years between 2014 and 2022-24, making the UK one of only five of the 21 richest nations to see a decline, while the number of working-age people with a long-term health condition rose from 11.7 million to 15.7 million. It also highlighted sharp regional inequality, with people in the wealthiest 10% of areas enjoying up to 20 more years of good health than those in the poorest 10%. The Health Foundation's David Finch said improving health could unlock £57bn in economic output and £72bn for public finances through higher tax revenue and lower welfare and NHS spending, urging incoming prime minister Andy Burnham, who also faces upcoming reports on youth unemployment, disability benefits and social care reform, to make health improvement central to economic growth plans.
- Better national health could add 2% to UK GDP
- Healthy life expectancy fell two years since 2014
- Report urges PM Burnham to prioritise prevention, not just NHS treatment
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Health has traditionally been treated mainly as a cost for the NHS to manage. This report reframes it as an economic asset in its own right, arguing that a healthier population would work more, claim fewer benefits and pay more tax, directly boosting national income and the public purse.
The Health Foundation is an independent charity focused on health and healthcare improvement in the UK, and it regularly publishes research aimed at influencing government policy. Its findings sit against a backdrop of declining healthy life expectancy since 2014 and a rising number of working-age people living with long-term health conditions, alongside wide gaps in healthy life expectancy between richer and poorer areas.
The report lands as a live question for the incoming government, led by Andy Burnham, which is weighing how to balance NHS treatment with prevention and is also awaiting separate reviews on youth unemployment, disability benefits and social care. It matters because it links public health directly to economic growth and the state of public finances, rather than treating them as separate policy areas.