ONS statistics show 110,804 deaths in 2025 were avoidable, representing 20.7% of all deaths. In Wales, 8,011 deaths - 22.4% of the total – were avoidable.

Dr Francesco Lo Monaco, Harley Street-based consultant cardiologist and co-founder of the National Longevity Clinic, said: ‘These figures should make us stop and think. A man's postcode should not have such a profound bearing on his chances of dying from a condition that could potentially have been prevented or treated.

‘Many of the risks associated with cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and raised cholesterol, can develop silently over many years. People may feel perfectly well while their risk is increasing. We need to get much better at identifying those warning signs early, rather than waiting for someone to become seriously ill.'

Men living in England's most deprived areas had an avoidable mortality rate of 547.8 deaths per 100,000, compared with 144.7 in the least deprived areas - a difference of 3.8 times.

The gap was also substantial among women, with rates of 327.5 per 100,000 in the most deprived areas, compared with 95.2 in the least deprived.

Men also experienced higher avoidable mortality rates than women across every deprivation group.

The leading cause of avoidable mortality remained neoplasms (tumours), followed by diseases of the circulatory system. Regionally, the North East recorded England's highest avoidable mortality rate, at 270.0 per 100,000, while the South East had the lowest, at 190.6.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: ‘For too long, men's health has been overlooked, which is why we launched England's first ever Men's Health Strategy last year.

‘Someone's postcode or sex should never dictate how long they live, and we're already taking action, from allocating GP funding more fairly, to delivering pioneering neighbourhood health centres in the areas that need them most.

‘But we will now go further in devolving power to local communities, putting decision-making into the hands of those who know their areas best, and driving lasting change across the country.'