Title page 1

Contents 3

Summary 5

What are health inequalities? 5

Reports and government commitments 6

International comparisons 6

1. Reports and policy on health inequalities 7

1.1. The Marmot reviews on health inequalities 7

1.2. The Darzi Report 8

1.3. Who is responsible for reducing health inequalities in England? 9

1.4. What is the government doing to reduce health inequalities? 10

1.5. The 10 Year Health Plan 14

2. Period life expectancy 17

2.1. Trends in life expectancy 17

2.2. Inequalities in life expectancy 18

3. Healthy life expectancy 22

3.1. Trends in healthy life expectancy 22

3.2. Inequalities in healthy life expectancy 25

4. Drivers of inequalities in health and healthy life expectancy 27

4.1. Inequalities in avoidable mortality 27

4.2. Trends in avoidable mortality 28

4.3. Risk factors for avoidable mortality 29

4.4. Inequalities in self-reported good health 31

4.5. Changes in self-reported good health 32

5. International comparisons 35

5.1. Period life expectancy at birth 35

5.2. Healthy life expectancy 36

6. Further resources 37

6.1. Reports 37

6.2. Commons Library research briefings 37

6.3. POST publications 38

Boxes 11

Box 1. Indices of multiple deprivation 11

Box 2. How is life expectancy measured? 17