The United Kingdom Suffers as a Result of Poor National Health

The UK's National Security Risk Assessment output classes the state of the UK public health as a Tier 1 national risk, the most potent of the three categories₁. The UK does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. The UK comes in the best 20 in terms of its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₂. It does better than average when it comes to its average life expectancy₃, childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far)₄, its suicide rate₅, its adolescent birth rate₆ (but bad for Europe), its smoking rate₇, its fertility rate₈ and in its immunizations take-up₉. The UK does not succeed in everything, however. The UK does worse than average when it comes to the prevalence of overweight adults₁₀ and in its alcohol consumption rate₁₁. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years. Discussing health problems is popular - half of all science stories in the UK media are medical₁₂, although, many of the claims made are dubious₁₂ and easily misinform. There are about 150 000 alternative therapists in Britain and the public spend about £4.5 billion on them (as of 2009)₁₃.

1. UK's Health
2. Health Datasets
   1. Life Expectancy
   2. Alcohol Consumption
   3. Fertility Rate
   4. Smoking in the 2020s
   5. Suicide Rate
   6. Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance
   7. Overweight Adults
   8. Adult Obesity
3. Children's Health Datasets
   1. Adolescent Birth Rate
   2. Infant Immunizations 2011-2015
   3. Infant Mortality (2020s)
4. UK Health Tourism: Foreigners are Not Abusing the NHS
5. Links

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1. UK's Health

#health

Compared to Europe (2025)14
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank14
1	Monaco	12.4
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	San Marino	30.6
	...
13	Belgium	53.8
14	Italy	54.8
15	Slovenia	56.5
16	UK	57.5
17	Ireland	58.2
18	Austria	58.8
19	Spain	62.6
20	Germany	64.3
21	Portugal	65.0
	Europe Avg	86.87
q=48.

Health (2025)14
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank14
1	Monaco	12.4
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	San Marino	30.6
	...
20	Sri Lanka	55.1
21	Slovenia	56.5
22	Canada	57.4
23	UK	57.5
24	Ireland	58.2
25	New Zealand	58.4
26	Austria	58.8
27	Malaysia	59.7
	World Avg	96.86
q=204.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino₁₅. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₁₅.

36 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, its immunizations take-up and childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far). The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₁₅, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Melanesia₁₅.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

2. Health Datasets

2.1. Life Expectancy

#demographics #health #hong_kong #immigration #japan #life_expectancy #longevity #population

Life Expectancy Higher is better3
Pos.		2021 Years3
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
26	Cyprus	81.2
27	Portugal	81.0
28	San Marino	80.9
29	UK	80.7
30	Slovenia	80.7
31	Germany	80.6
32	Andorra	80.4
33	Greece	80.1
	Europe Avg	78.36
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

The UK ranks 29th in the world when it comes to its average life expectancy.

Increasing longevity, and subsequent aging, is a long-term trend around the world₁₆. Global life expectancy has risen above the 70s, reaching 72, by 2016₁₇, as part of a global trend towards better health_17,18, and due to huge portions of the world being gradually lifted out of poverty. It also reflects overall improvements to cultural health, including diet, health services systems, attitudes to exercise and well-being, and also family structure and caring. For decades, Japan was well-known for having the highest average life expectancy₁₉, until the top spot was taken by Hong Kong. The regions with the best life expectancy are Europe (78.4), The Middle East (75.2) and Asia (73.2)₃ and the worst, by some way, is Africa (62.8)₃.

One effect of rising longevity is the 'demographics crisis'; where an increasing portion of the population is old and retired, putting pressure on services and taxes₂₀. The solution is for aging countries to import younger workers from elsewhere; over time, as birth rates stabilize, geriatric care improves the length of the working life, and population growth calms, this situation will stabilize.

For more, see:

• "Life Expectancy and Longevity" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Life expectancy in the UK improved by +6yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs.

Averages by decade for the UK (for the ranks, lower is better):

Life Expectancy	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
the UK:	76.6	78.9	81.0
World Rank:	24th	⇣  25th	⇣  26th
World Avg:	65.3	68.2	71.4

2.2. Alcohol Consumption

#alcohol #health #sociology

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better11
Pos.		2016 Per Capita11
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
164=	Andorra	11.3
164=	Equatorial Guinea	11.3
166	Hungary	11.4
167=	UK	11.5
167=	Gabon	11.5
167=	Slovakia	11.5
167=	Switzerland	11.5
171	Austria	11.6
	Europe Avg	10.3
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

The UK is 168th in the world regarding its alcohol consumption rate.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₂₁ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₂₂ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₂₃ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₂₄. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₂₅. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

For more, see:

• "Alcohol: The Social & Medical Effects and How to Combat Misuse" by Vexen Crabtree (2015).

The UK has seen a 50-year growth in alcohol consumption and it has become a public-health crisis₂₆. In 2007-8 it directly cost the NHS £3 billion₂₆, and overall the national cost is up to £55 billion a year_26,27. Across 2007-8, the UK had up to 40,000 alcohol-related deaths, including 350 from acute alcohol poisoning and 8,000 from cirrhosis of the liver₂₆. Consumption has doubled since the late 1950s, whilst in other developed countries such as France and Italy, it has more than halved₂₈; liver disease rates are falling in the EU, but the UK's rises₂₉. The price of alcohol is half what it was in the 1970s₂₈. Between 1995 and 2001, binge drinking increased by 35% in the UK₂₈ . The increase in drinking "is reflected in rising death rates from chronic liver disease, the primary cause of which is too much drink", and the UK has some of Europe's worst rates of childhood drunkenness and several thousands of babies are born each year with foetal alcohol syndrome₂₆, which has lifelong effects.

2.3. Fertility Rate

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #overpopulation #population #yemen

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best8
Pos.		20228
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
72	St Martin	2.39
73	Isle of Man	1.57
74=	Slovakia	1.57
74=	UK	1.57
76	Paraguay	2.44
77	Laos	2.45
78=	Denmark	1.55
78=	Slovenia	1.55
	Europe Avg	1.53
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

When it comes to its fertility rate, the UK ranks 74th in the world.

The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₃₀

For more, see:

• "The Population of the Earth" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

The UK's peak fertility rate was 2.93 in 1964.

Averages by decade for the UK (for the ranks, lower is better):

Fertility Rate	1960s  Average	1970s  Average	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
the UK:	2.76	1.99	1.80	1.75	1.76	1.80
World Rank:	30th	⇡  1st	⇣  26th	⇣  29th	⇣  42nd	⇡  39th
World Avg:	5.35	4.78	4.22	3.57	3.03	2.73

2.4. Smoking in the 2020s

#cancer #democracy #health #smoking

Smoking is the UK's biggest cause of preventable death and 100,000 people die from related diseases every year₃₁. The health of the nation affects everyone in the long-run₃₂ - although in 2016/17 tax on cigarettes earned the government £7.6 billion₃₃, in 2010 statistics showed the total cost to the economy of smoking (including NHS costs) was £13.7 billion₃₄. 474,000 hospital admissions every year in England are directly due to smoking₃₃.

But things are moving in the right direction. Since the 1970s, the government has enacted a stream of laws to improve public health: strong restrictions on advertising cigarettes, enforced health warnings on packs, increased costs, banned sports sponsorships and banned smoking in public enclosed spaces._33,36,37. Each of those measures was fought through long legal and PR campaigns by the tobacco industry_36,37. But it is working, and smoking rates in Great Britain have declined from 50% in 1974 to 16% in 2016, and the spectre of childhood smoking has declined to 3%._33,38

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better7
Pos.		Total %7
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
56	Namibia	14.2%
57=	Burkina Faso	14.3%
57=	Norway	14.3%
57=	UK	14.3%
60	Rwanda	14.3%
61	Zambia	14.6%
62	Saudi Arabia	14.9%
63	Mexico	14.9%
	Europe Avg	27.0%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165.

The UK is 57th in the world regarding its smoking rate.

Cigarettes are the most lethal consumer product on the planet, responsible for over 7 million deaths annually₃₅ and therefore the biggest preventable cause of disease in the world₃₆. A billion people smoke₃₉. The tobacco industry has resisted with misinformation and well-funded public-relations campaigns, opposing and undermining health measures wherever it can; if defeated, firms continue the same abuses in other countries₄₀. The industry has such rich and influential lobbies that most governments find it difficult to make progress in curbing smoking rates.

If you smoke, you are more likely to drink. If you smoke or drink, you are also more likely to do drugs. Only 15% of men in the highest professional classes smoke, but 42% of unskilled workers do₄₁. Smoking is higher amongst those who are already in trouble: single mothers smoke at 55%, most homeless do and practically all drug addicts do₄₁. Smoking during late pregnancy reduces the IQ of babies by an average of 6.2 points₄₂ and causes increased antisocial behaviour. Aside from the financial cost to taxpayers and the health costs to individuals, indirect negative economic effects result from increased rates of disease and sick days lost from work₃₅.

For more, see:

• " The Side Effects of Smoking. Which Countries Smoke Most?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Averages by decade for the UK (for the ranks, lower is better):

Smoking	2000s  Average	2010s  Average	2020s  Average
the UK:	31.7%	21.7%	14.3%
World Rank:	101st	⇡  72nd	⇡  57th
World Avg:	27.9%	23.5%	20.0%

2.5. Suicide Rate

#belgium #finland #health #japan #mental_health #suicide #switzerland

Suicide Rate5
Pos.		2013 Per 100k5
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
36	Italy	12.8
37	Macedonia	13.5
38	Mauritius	13.7
39	UK	13.9
40	Ecuador	14.1
41	Spain	15.3
42	Argentina	15.6
43	Thailand	15.8
	Europe Avg	26.99
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

The UK is positioned 40th in the world regarding its suicide rate.

Suicide as a human behaviour is recorded in the texts of the most ancient civilisations. But reliable statistics on it are hard to collect. The World Health Organisation publishes the statistics used by the United Nations, which is duplicated in the long table on the right.

Almost universally, successful male suicide rates are much higher than female rates. However, female suicide attempts are more frequent than male attempts.

Countries with high suicide rates are a mixture between those riddled with organized criminal gangs, under-developed countries, and, highly developed countries. There are cultural and situational effects at work that persist in the long-term: nothing seems to lower the high suicide rates in Japan, Belgium and Finland. And some of the countries with the lowest rates are not particularly well developed socially. It seems there is no correlation between suicide rates and things like development, prosperity and national engagement in human rights.

Switzerland comes in as the country with the 17th highest suicide rate despite its liberal stance, with 36.2 suicides per 100,000 people.

For more, see:

• "Accepting Assisted Suicide: A Focus on UK Law" by Vexen Crabtree (2012).

2.6. Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better2
Pos.		2017 Rank2
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
4	UK	4
5	Norway	5
6	Switzerland	6
7	Germany	7
8	Canada	8
9	Netherlands	9
10	USA	10
11	Luxembourg	11
12	Finland	12
	Europe Avg	47.4
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

The UK is positioned 4th-best in the world in terms of its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance.

2.7. Overweight Adults

#health #obesity

Overweight Adults Lower is better10
Pos.		1976 %10
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
152=	Argentina	40.4
152=	Chile	40.4
154	Uruguay	40.5
155=	UK	40.6
155=	Iceland	40.6
155=	Canada	40.6
158	Poland	40.8
159	Jordan	41.0
	Europe Avg	38.2
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Regarding the prevalence of overweight adults, the UK ranks 155th in the world.

Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₄₃. It has widespread knock-on effects for the rest of the UK, resulting in lost-hours of work, developed disabilities and social care costs. A UK government Commons Health Select Committee report in late 2015 stated that obesity costs the UK economy £27 billion every year₄₄ and the total costs to Britain were widely reported in 2014 to be £47 billion_46,47 - more than war, violence and terrorism combined_46,47. It costs the National Health Service £5.1 billion per year₅₆. Childhood obesity presents the greatest long-term risk (and cost) and parents must do more to instigate sensible eating practices₅₇. In early 2016, the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that UK rates of childhood obesity constituted a national emergency₅₈.

The issue has been a long-term development; the chart shows rates rising between 1996-2005 in England.

2.8. Adult Obesity

#genetics #health #obesity #physical_fitness #public_health

Adult Obesity Lower is better45
Pos.		2022 %45
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
123	Tunisia	28.3%
124	Uzbekistan	28.5%
125	Honduras	28.5%
126	UK	28.7%
127	Brazil	28.8%
128	Suriname	29.0%
129	Dominican Rep.	29.1%
130	Trinidad & Tobago	29.2%
	Europe Avg	25.9%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

The UK is positioned 126th in the world regarding obesity rate.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₄₆. It's more serious than simply being overweight and causes a range of systemic health conditions including the development of Type 2 diabetes_48,49, muscle and bone degradation including osteoarthritis₄₈, cardiovascular disease (i.e. heart disease)₄₈, substantial disability₄₈, cancers (endometrial, breast and colon)₄₈, the acceleration of the ageing process₅₀ and decreased life expectancy_48,50. Health systems have to routinely cope with resultant complications, and cultural changes are having to be made₅₁, impacting on transport, resources and workplaces, with measurable effects on national economies, diverting time and resources away from other issues. In 2000, it was the world's most costly epidemic₅₁, and has continued to get worse in every region of the world every decade since₅₂.

The causes are lifestyle and culture_53,48, not genetics_54,55. Causes are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products and poor knowledge of nutrition. Health experts have warned that there is no medical solution: prevention is the only possible route to reduce the cost of obesity₅₆ but the situation is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheap mass-produced food. Even many so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₆₀ and a range of popular fad diets capitalize on miseducated consumers to buy into costly and nonsensical schemes that falsely promise quick results₆₁.

For more, see:

• " The Modern Obesity Epidemic" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Averages by decade for the UK (for the ranks, lower is better):

Adult Obesity	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
the UK:	15.8%	23.0%	26.8%
World Rank:	140th	⇣  158th	⇡  143rd
World Avg:	12.5%	16.7%	21.0%

3. Children's Health Datasets

3.1. Adolescent Birth Rate

#health #parenting #population

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better6
Pos.		2022 Per 10006
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
46	Oman	9.7
47	Lithuania	9.7
48	Montenegro	9.7
49	UK	10.0
50	Latvia	10.5
51	China	11.1
52	Belarus	11.2
53	Malta	11.5
	Europe Avg	11.4
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

The UK ranks 49th in the world in terms of its adolescent birth rate.

Averages by decade for the UK (for the ranks, lower is better):

Adolescent Birth Rate	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
the UK:	30.9	26.6	16.5
World Rank:	49th	⇣  66th	⇡  53rd
World Avg:	71.0	59.4	51.4

3.2. Infant Immunizations 2011-2015

#health #vaccines

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better9
Pos.		2015 Avg %9
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
72	Tuvalu	94.9
73	Eritrea	94.7
74	Singapore	94.6
75	UK	94.6
76	Solomon Islands	94.5
77	Norway	94.3
78	Bolivia	94.2
79=	UAE	94.0
	Europe Avg	92.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

The UK is 75th in the world with regard to its immunizations take-up.

3.3. Infant Mortality (2020s)

#health

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better4
Pos.		Total Per 10004
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
29	Belarus	4.27
30	Switzerland	4.29
31	Montenegro	4.53
32	UK	4.62
33	Lithuania	4.97
34	Croatia	5.02
35	Poland	5.05
36	Hungary	5.12
	Europe Avg	6.30
	World Avg	32.19
q=195.

When it comes to childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far), the UK is positioned 32nd in the world.

Averages by decade for the UK (for the ranks, lower is better):

Infant Mortality (2020s)	1960s  Average	1970s  Average	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average	2020s  Average
the UK:	23.90	18.19	11.77	7.59	7.31	6.03	4.62
World Rank:	10th	⇣  13th	⇣  18th	18th	⇣  19th	⇣  28th	⇣  32nd
World Avg:	142.42	111.96	83.04	64.84	63.22	45.87	32.19

4. UK Health Tourism: Foreigners are Not Abusing the NHS

#EU #health #UK #uk_health

Many in the UK accuse immigrants and refugees of "health tourism" and "benefits tourism"₆₂. 59% of all Brits think "that foreigners were a burden on the welfare system"₆₃. Right-wing politicians, the occasional rogue (but well-meaning) doctor, and irresponsible newspapers such as The Daily Mail have exclaimed loudly that the UK's National Health Service (NHS) spends £2 billion annually on health tourists, a figure which is absurdly exaggerated. The real figure is £110-180m, which is less than the NHS spends on stationary and is less than is wasted through missed appointments_64,65. The £2bn figure includes those in the UK who work and pay taxes here. Also, it is not fair to announce one-way costings; "treating UK tourists in Europe costs five times more than equivalent cost to NHS"₆₆; and imagine if we had to pay the costs of the millions of Brits who have retired in the Mediterranean. When it comes to health tourism, the UK benefits from EU membership greatly₆₆.

For more, see:

• "UK Health Tourism: Foreigners are Not Abusing the NHS" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).