The King’s Fund responds to ONS statistics on health inequalities by built-up area and ethnic group

Commenting on ONS statistics on health inequalities by built-up area and ethnic group, England: March 2021 to May 2023, Veena Raleigh, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund, said:

‘Today’s ONS findings provide new insights into the complex relationship between mortality rates in England and the built-up environments in which people live.

‘Unsurprisingly, in all areas mortality rates rise with increasing levels of deprivation. But some other findings raise questions that need answers. For example, deprivation seems to have a lower impact on health outcomes in London than in other major urban locations. This needs to be explored to see if there are lessons to be learnt for other major settlements.

‘The findings also suggest that larger urban developments are associated with poorer health outcomes. Pockets of poverty within our larger urban settlements co-exist with wealthy neighbourhoods, blighting the lives and health of many people of all ethnicities. The findings also highlight that across all size of settlements, people from the White British group have among the highest mortality rates of all ethnic groups.

‘Today’s findings add to the growing evidence of entrenched health inequalities in England’s unequal society, and the adverse and widespread impact of deprivation on health. Reducing health inequalities, and the socio-economic inequalities that drive them in people of all ethnicities, must be an urgent priority for the new government.’

Notes to editors

1. ONS defines built-up areas as a geography based on the physical built environment, using Ordnance Survey topographic data to recognise developed land, such as cities, towns and villages. This allows economic and social statistics to be investigated based on actual settlements where most people live. Built-up areas are classified by population size as minor, small, medium, large or major.

2. Mortality rates relate to the period 21 March 2021 to 31 May 2023.

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