2.5 million more people in England projected to be living with major illness by 2040

The ground-breaking analysis is part of a four-year project led by the Health Foundation’s Real Centre in partnership with the University of Liverpool, focusing on levels of ill health in the adult population in England up to 2040. It lays out the scale and impact of the growth in the number of people living with major illness as the population ages.

The analysis finds that 19 of the 20 health conditions studied are projected to increase in prevalence, including a rise of more than 30 per cent in the number of people living with conditions such as cancer, diabetes and kidney disease. Overall, the number of people living with major disease is set to increase from almost one in six of the adult population in 2019, to nearly one in five by 2040, with significant implications for the NHS, other public services and the public finances.