England’s Healthiest Cities

Whether you need a prescription from your local NHS Pharmacy or someone to talk to about your mental health, many health services are available in England. Despite this, resources have been stretched in recent years, meaning that looking after your health is more crucial than ever.

To understand more about the overall state of health in England, we have gathered data from various health-related statistics, including life expectancy and smoking prevalence in adults. Here’s what we found.

With an overall score of 8.75 /10, Wandsworth is crowned as the overall healthiest area in England

To crown the overall healthiest location in the country, we have normalised data from various health-related sources, including the percentage of smokers and residents’ average life expectancy.

Wandsworth

This London Borough may not have the best individual scores on our list. Still, its impressive performance across the board has earned it an overall healthy score of 8.75 /10 - the highest of any local authority in England. Some factors contributing to Wandsworth’s first-place entry on our list include the 74.1% of physically active adults here and the fact that only 10.3% are smokers.

8.75/10

Overall healthy score

2

Rutland

Next on our list, with an overall healthy score of 8.72 /10, is Rutland. Even though 20.2% of adults in this area are classified as obese, the residents here are no strangers to healthy eating, evidenced by the fact that 39.5% of the residents eat their 5-a-day - the highest proportion of every entry in our top five.

8.72/10

Overall healthy score

3

Richmond upon Thames & York

The third-place entry on our list of the healthiest overall areas is shared between Richmond upon Thames and York. Despite having the same overall score of 8.43 /10, the factors which make these areas healthy could not be more different. For example, regarding annual gym-related Google searches, Richmond upon Thames has the lowest of all places in our top five, whilst York has the highest of our top five, totalling 58 per 10,000 residents and 2,192 per 10,000 residents, respectively.

8.43/10

Overall healthy score

Overall healthiest areas in England

Key: % of adults classified as obese % of adults that eat 5 pieces of fruit & veg a day % of physically active adults Average life expectancy (in years) % of smokers Annual gym-related Google searches per 10,000 residents Overall healthy score /10 *The areas that have scored the same share the same ranking

	Local authority

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Kensington and Chelsea have the lowest proportion of obese adults, totalling 11.6% of its population

From shortness of breath to heart attacks, it is no secret that obesity can result in a whole host of health risks. Below is a list of areas in England with the lowest proportion of adults classified as obese.

Kensington & Chelsea

Over half of London’s population is classified as overweight or obese, but the borough of Kensington and Chelsea is breaking the mould. With around 1 in 10 people here classified as obese, this location has the best track record of all areas in the UK. Whether it results from healthy eating, regular exercise or a combination of the two, it is clear that most residents here care for their health.

11.6%

Adults classified as obese

English locations with the lowest proportion of obese adults

Key: % of adults classified as obese *The areas that have scored the same share the same ranking

	Local authority

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More people are eating their 5-a-day in Islington than in any other area, a total of 43%

From a young age, we are told that eating five pieces of fruit and vegetables is a great way to maintain good health. Because of this, we wanted to find out which areas have the highest proportion of 5-a-day consumers.

Islington

London is notorious for its high grocery prices, but this hasn’t stopped the residents of this London borough from putting their health first. With 43% of adults meeting the 5-a-day fruit and vegetable consumption recommendations across Islington, more residents are getting their daily allowance of vitamins here than in any other area of England.

43%

Adults that eat 5-a-day

Areas in England with the highest percentage of 5-a-day consumers

Key: % of adults that eat 5 pieces of fruit & veg a day *The areas that have scored the same share the same ranking

	Local authority

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77.3% of adults in Bath and North East Somerset are physically active - more than any other UK area

From walking to swimming and everything in between, there is a form of physical activity for everyone. The list below reveals which areas in England have the highest percentage of physically active adults.

Bath & North East Somerset

Taking the top spot on our list, with 77.3% of adults being physically active, is Bath and North East Somerset. As well as keeping your body in good shape, physical activity can also benefit your mental health - and a walk (or run) around the streets of Bath is enough to boost anyone’s serotonin levels.

77.3%

of physically active adults

Areas in England with the highest percentage of physically active adults

Key: % of physically active adults *The areas that have scored the same share the same ranking

	Local authority

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Residents in Kensington & Chelsea have an average life expectancy of 86.02 - higher than any other area

As of 2023, the average life expectancy in the UK is 81 years old, but how does your hometown fare against the national average? Here’s what we found.

Kensington & Chelsea

Of all the local authorities on our list, Kensington and Chelsea has the highest life expectancy, averaging just over 86 years. After appearing at the top of one of our previous health-related rankings, it may come as no surprise that the residents of this London borough are living longer than others on average.

86.02 yrs

Average life expectancy

Areas in England with the highest average life expectancy

Key: Average life expectancy (in years) *The areas that have scored the same share the same ranking

	Local authority

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Only 6.2% of residents in Richmond upon Thames are smokers - the lowest proportion of any UK area

Developing a smoking habit is detrimental to your health, and the greenhouse gases produced by smoke exhalation are bad for the environment. Having said this, below is a list of local authorities in England with the lowest proportion of smokers.

Richmond upon Thames

With a smoking prevalence of just 6.2% in Richmond upon Thames, this London borough is setting an example for the rest of England. With such a low proportion of smokers, the residents here are reducing their chances of developing the many adverse health risks of long-term smoking.

6.2%

% of smokers

Areas in England with the smallest proportion of smokers

Key: % of smokers *The areas that have scored the same share the same ranking

	Local authority

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With 3,141 Google searches per 10,000 residents, the people of Reading are searching the most about gyms

Even though millions of UK residents have gym memberships, many more are eager to learn about the local facilities. The list below reveals which English areas have the most annual gym-related Google searches.

Reading

With 3,141 Google searches per 10,000 residents, the English town of Reading inquires about gyms more than any other area in England. As Reading is famed for its biscuit industry, the residents here are likely looking for ways to enjoy the fruits of their labour whilst looking after their health.

3,141

Searches per 10,000 residents

Areas in England with the most annual gym-related Google searches

Key: Annual Google searches (Aug 2022-Jul 2023) Searches per 10,000 residents *The areas that have scored the same share the same ranking

	Local authority

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Methodology

We used the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities to find the percentage of adults classified as obese in each area as of 2021/22.

We used Office for Health Improvement & Disparities to find the percentage of physically active adults in each area as of 2021/22.

We used Zippia to find the average life expectancy of males and females in each area as of 2018-20. We then added the male and female figures together before dividing them by two to calculate the average life expectancy of an adult in each area.

We used Office for National Statistics to find the proportion of smokers in each area as of 2020.

We used Google Ads Keyword Planner to find the total number of Google searches for the term ‘gyms in + destination’ between August 2022- July 2023. We divided the total number of searches by each area’s population and multiplied this by 10,000 to calculate the number of Google searches per 10,000 residents.

Finally, we used the health-related factors (proportion of adults classified as obese, adults consuming their 5-a-day, percentage of physically active adults, average life expectancy, proportion of smokers, gym-related Google searches) and normalised each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall ‘healthy score’.