This report sets out what is known about current-day health inequalities in the UK, and their potential upstream causes. There are marked differences in life expectancy between the regions of England, the countries in the UK, and the UK and other wealthy countries. Gains in life expectancy have been stronger for men than for women in the UK over the past 50 years. In England, where much measurement has been done, there are large differences in mortality rates between less and more educated adults, and between less and more deprived places. The austerity measures enacted after the financial crisis of 2008 not only harmed many people directly and unequally, through reductions in public services, but may also have played a role in the anaemic reduction in mortality rates observed for adults after 2010. Prescriptions on policy to improve the health of those left behind will need to wait for more and better data. The most promising approach to improving population health is to continue to focus on the health and well-being of children. Covid-19 has changed mortality patterns in the UK.