This is the first time Public Health England (PHE) has used its wealth of population health data to give an overall picture of the health of England. People are living longer than ever – life expectancy in England has now reached 79.5 years for males and 83.1 years for females. However, much of the extra time is spent in poor health. A major theme of this report is health inequalities; and PHE has simultaneously published a report examining health inequalities between different population groups. In the richest areas, people enjoy nearly 20 more years in good health than people in the poorest areas.