UK record on child health a ‘national embarrassment’

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s flagship report on the State of Child Health says outcomes for children have worsened or stagnated in the last decade, reversing years of progress, especially in deprived areas and among ethnic minority communities.

The RCPCH report provides a clear and comprehensive analysis of children's health across the four nations of the UK. It assesses progress against 12 key indicators, including infant mortality, mental health, immunisations and obesity.

RCPCH Officer for Health Improvement, Dr Helen Stewart, said: ‘Since the last iteration, very little has improved, and on some indicators, the situation has deteriorated. The UK’s record on children’s health should be seen as a national embarrassment.

‘Without urgent action, we risk raising one of the unhealthiest generations of children in recent decades.’

Professor Steve Turner, RCPCH President, said: ‘While [Government] ambitions for children’s health have been set out repeatedly, the evidence in this report shows that too many children and young people, particularly those in our poorest communities, are still being left behind.

‘Collectively, we must do better, and we must do it sooner. Improving child health requires sustained focus, long-term investment, and a commitment to tackling the root causes of inequality. Getting it right first time matters, not only for children today, but for the health and prosperity of our society in the years to come.’

The RCN commented: ‘Without decisive action we condemn generations to poor health and add further unnecessary pressure on health and care services.’

Key findings

Infant mortality: rates remain high, and more than twice as high in the most deprived areas (5.3 per 1,000) as in the least deprived (2.2)

Child mortality: rates have improved marginally (8.5 per 100,000 in 2024 vs 9.0 in 2018), with suicide a key contributor among 10-17-year-olds, particularly affecting boys and children from mixed or multiple ethnic backgrounds

Immunisations: vaccination coverage has fallen below recommendations, with very few routine childhood vaccines meeting the 95% uptake target: uptake of two doses of MMR by age 5 was only 84%, and even lower among looked-after children in 2023-24.

Oral health: Tooth decay affected 22% of 5-year-olds in 2024, and the cost of tooth extractions in children aged 0-19 was ~£75 million in 2024.

Obesity: nearly a quarter of children aged 4–5 are overweight or obese, rising to over a third (36.2%) by age 10-11, and prevalence in the most deprived areas is almost double that in the least deprived areas.

Mental health: the proportion of 8-16-year-olds assessed to have a ‘probable’ mental health disorder has increased from 12.5% in 2019 to 20.3% in 2023, but the proportion of those able to access mental health support through schools has fallen from 59.8% in 2022 to 53.1% in 2023.

Vaping and smoking: Smoking among children and young people has fallen to 3% but over a quarter of girls (27%) and 22% of boys aged 11–15 used e cigarettes in 2023, and increase of 2–3% from 2021.

Asthma: Progress in reducing emergency admissions for childhood asthma has reversed in recent years, rising to 147.9 per 100,000 in 2023/24 after earlier declines, with many deaths remaining preventable and persistent inequalities affecting outcomes. Children from deprived backgrounds are more than four times more likely to die from asthma than those in wealthier areas.

RCPCH. State of Child Health, 2026; published 14 July 2026.

https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2026-07/state-of-child-health-2026-england-quick-read.pdf