Area · E06000055
Bedford
Population studies suggest people in Bedford, on average, can expect around 81.8 years of life, of which around 61.6 may be in good general health.
Last data refresh · 2026-04-26
Source · ONS & OHID
Open Government Licence v3.0
§ 01 · Life expectancy
How long people in Bedford live
Period life expectancy at birth, taken from the ONS local-area life-expectancy dataset (2022–2024). These are population averages, not personal predictions.
Life expectancy · average
81.8yrs
Average across male and female.
Life expectancy · male
79.6yrs
Life expectancy · female
83.9yrs
§ 02 · Healthy life expectancy
How many of those years may be in good health
Healthy life expectancy at birth estimates the years a person can expect to live in good general health. The gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy is the share of life spent in poorer health.
Healthy life expectancy · average
61.6yrs
Years lived in good general health.
Healthy life expectancy · male
61.3yrs
Healthy life expectancy · female
62.0yrs
Years not in good health
20.2yrs
The healthy-life gap for this area.
vs UK average (63.3 yrs healthy)
Bedford is 1.7 years below the UK average for healthy life expectancy.
FIG. 02 · BEDFORD
Bedford, square by square
62 healthy years · 20 years with poorer health · out of 82 total.
Healthy (62) Poorer health (20) Beyond LE (18)
§ 03 · Lifestyle indicators
Behavioural risk factors at population level
Adult population shares for the five lifestyle indicators Lifemap tracks. Definitions and survey periods vary by country — see Sources for the full provenance and the comparability caveats.
Smoking (adults)
15.1%
Adult smoking prevalence.
Obesity / overweight (adults)
68.9%
Adult population share. Definition varies between countries — see Sources.
Higher-risk drinking
18.3%
Adults drinking above the chief medical officer's weekly guideline.
Physically active (adults)
62.9%
Adults meeting the CMO 150 min / week guideline.
Five-a-day fruit & veg
29.1%
Adults eating five or more portions a day.
§ 04 · Look up another area
Compare Bedford with another postcode
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