Wider Determinants of Health: statistical commentary, February 2026
Published 3 February 2026
Applies to England
漏 Crown copyright 2026
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This publication is available at /government/statistics/wider-determinants-of-health-february-2026-update/wider-determinants-of-health-statistical-commentary-february-2026
奥丑补迟鈥檚听苍别飞听
This update includes new time points for聽12聽indicators, on these themes:
- 别肠辞苍辞尘颈肠听颈苍补肠迟颈惫颈迟测听
- average weekly earnings聽
- 丑辞尘别濒别蝉蝉苍别蝉蝉听
- school readiness聽
- air pollution聽
- domestic abuse聽
滨苍迟谤辞诲耻肠迟颈辞苍听
罢丑别听聽brings together available indicators at England and local authority level聽and is聽designed to:聽聽
-
draw attention to the broad range of individual,聽social聽and environmental factors which influence our health聽聽
-
provide the public health system with intelligence on the wider determinants of health to聽inform planning to聽improve population health and reduce health inequalities聽
This statistical commentary聽looks聽at聽the聽update to data for聽economic inactivity due to long-term聽illness or disability.听
Economic inactivity due to long-term聽illness or disability聽
People聽who are聽not in employment聽and聽have not been seeking work within the last 4 weeks, or聽who聽are unable to start work within the next 2 weeks聽are聽defined as聽economically inactive.听聽
This indicator reports the number of people聽who are聽economically inactive due to long-term聽illness or disability聽as a proportion of the working-age population (aged 16 to 64).听This indicator provides further understanding of economic inactivity to supplement data published by聽the聽Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as part of the聽employment of disabled people statistics.听DWP statistics聽give an estimate of the number of people who are economically inactive by聽the聽reason for聽which they are聽inactive.听聽
Main findings聽
In England,聽5.7%聽of people were economically inactive聽in 2024聽to 2025聽because of long-term illness or disability.听This聽has been increasing since 2017 to 2018 (4.6%) (see figure 1).听
In 2024聽to 2025,聽there聽were significant differences between聽regions. People in the聽North East聽(8.6%)聽were more than twice as likely to be economically inactive due to long-term illness聽or disability聽as聽people in the聽South East聽(4.1%)聽(see figure 2).听
Figure 1:聽economic inactivity due to long-term illness or disability, aged 16 to 64,聽England,聽2017 to 2018 to 2024 to 2025
Source: OHID, based on Office for National Statistics data
Figure 2:聽economic inactivity due to long-term illness or disability by region, aged 16 to 64, 2024 to 2025
Source: OHID, based on Office for National Statistics data
Further information聽
罢丑别听Wider聽Determinants聽of聽Health聽profile includes data for all indicators that have been updated. Further details about indicator聽methodology聽are available within the definitions section.听
For queries about this publication,聽email聽pha-ohid@dhsc.gov.uk.