A Health Foundation analysis of deaths in England found that employment, education and neighborhood deprivation were sharply associated with premature mortality, with the widest measured gap tied to men's work status.
Men classified as long-term unemployed or never having worked had a death rate before age 75 that was 3.5 times the rate for men in higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations. The analysis also found that men and women in the most deprived areas had premature mortality rates 2.3 times those of people in the least deprived areas.
For men, the rates were 815 deaths per 100,000 in the most deprived areas and 353 in the least deprived. For women, the comparable figures were 556 and 243. Among women, the rate was 564 per 100,000 for those without qualifications and 225 for those with a degree or higher.
Deprivation was associated with differences even among men with degrees: the rate was 556 deaths per 100,000 in the most deprived areas, compared with 269 in the least deprived. Among men in higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations, the respective rates were 492 and 255.
The study covered adults ages 18 to 74 in England and deaths from any cause recorded between March 2021 and December 2023. It used 2021 census data, with data and modeling from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The Health Foundation connected education with health through economic security. It said higher qualifications often lead to higher-quality jobs and greater income over a lifetime, which can help people afford goods and services that support health. It also pointed to strain associated with unemployment and the health effects of workplace conditions, including pay, job security and reliable working patterns.
The size of the gaps varied across England. Differences between socioeconomic groups were less pronounced in London than in most areas, while the North West had a substantially wider divide than London. Freya Tracey said reducing early-death inequalities would require coordinated policy and a practical role for local areas in prevention.
The ONS separately reported a record-low avoidable-death rate in England in 2025, while men in the most deprived areas still had a rate 3.8 times that of men in the least deprived. That is a separate measure from the Health Foundation analysis; see EconoTimes’ earlier coverage of the 2025 avoidable-death figures.
