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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Gregory Health editor

‘Catastrophic’ forecast shows 9m people in England with major illnesses by 2040

People sitting in rows of blue plastic chairs in the waiting room of an NHS health centre
The Health Foundation says an extra 2.5 million people will be living with major illnesses by 2040, up 37% compared with 2019. Photograph: Julian Claxton/Alamy

Nine million people in England will be living with major illnesses such as dementia, diabetes, cancer, depression and kidney disease by 2040, according to projections health leaders called “catastrophic”.

In a rapidly ageing population, the number living with serious diseases will rise from almost one in six of the adult population in 2019, to nearly one in five by 2040, with huge implications for the NHS, social care and the public finances.

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