This briefing presents the findings of recent research from the Universities of Sussex and Manchester. It looks at ethnic inequalities in health in later life in the UK.
There are stark inequalities between the health status of different ethnic groups in the UK, with people from some ethnic minority backgrounds experiencing worse health than their White peers.
To date there has been a lack of data on the lives and circumstances of ethnic minority people in later life. This report summarises the findings of recent research from Dr Sarah Stopforth and Dr Laia Becares at the University of Sussex and Dr Dharmi Kapadia and Professor James Nazroo at the University of Manchester. It looks at ethnic inequalities in health in later life in the UK – specifically, how they vary with age; whether levels of inequality have changed over time; and to what extent they can be explained by socioeconomic inequality and self-reported experiences of racism and racial discrimination.
The report proposes producing and implementing a national race equality strategy – which specifically takes into account healthy ageing. All policy activity should consider, and work to address, inequalities relating to people in and approaching later life, this includes analysing the potential impact on different ethnic groups of the upcoming review of the State Pension Age. The government also needs a clear plan for how ethnic minority older people will be supported to recover from the events of the pandemic, as this group have been disproportionately impacted by its effects.
