This short story describes self-assessed general health by age, gender and administrative geographical areas in England and Wales, using the latest 2011 Census data.

Census data helps to describe the characteristics of people and households across areas in detail, giving government, private and voluntary sector organisations information to support planning and decision-making, and enabling public debate.

Key Points

• In the 2011 Census, almost 80 per cent of residents in England and approximately 77 per cent of residents in Wales reported their general health as ‘Good’.
• The 10 local authorities with the highest percentages of ‘Good’ health were clustered in an area to the south and west of London.
• The lowest percentage of ‘Good’ health for males was reported in Merthyr Tydfil, which is in Wales (71.5 per cent), and for females in Tower Hamlets, which is in London (69.2 per cent).
• Younger people (aged 35 and under) showed the least variation in their health status between the local authorities.
• Self-assessed health differences were widest between authorities at ages 65-74.
• Among males and females there was a strong relationship between self-assessed ‘Good’ general health and area deprivation, both in England and Wales.