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.