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Is Newcastle upon Tyne a Healthy Place to Live?

Newcastle upon Tyne (North East) ranks 115 of 145 English upper-tier local authorities on the Gera Healthy-Place Index — among the mid-table.

Is Newcastle upon Tyne a healthy place to live?

Newcastle upon Tyne scores 54 out of 100 on the Gera Healthy-Place Index, ranking 115 of 145 English upper-tier local authorities (1 = healthiest). It records a maximum modelled 8 μg/m³ PM2.5 and 32 μg/m³ NO2 (DEFRA 2024), life expectancy of 79.9 years (ONS), and 96.6% of GP practices rated Good or Outstanding (CQC).

Source:Gera Healthy-Place Index — composite of DEFRA + ONS + CQC open data·as of Air 2024 calendar year; life expectancy 2017-19; GP ratings 2026-06-01updated annually (last: )
Gera Healthy-Place Index54 / 100Newcastle upon Tyne ranks 115 of 145. Air 51/100, life expectancy 32.7/100, GP access 88.7/100 (each normalised across the included areas).How this index is calculated
Healthy-Place pillars for Newcastle upon Tyne — DEFRA + ONS + CQC (OGL v3.0)
PillarReal figureSub-score (0–100)
Air quality (DEFRA)max 8 μg/m³ PM2.5, 32 μg/m³ NO251 / 100
Life expectancy (ONS)79.9 years32.7 / 100
GP access (CQC)96.6% (28 of 29 rated practices)88.7 / 100
Newcastle upon Tyne air quality vs published limits (DEFRA 2024)
PollutantNewcastle upon Tyne (max annual mean)WHO 2021 guidelineUK limit value
PM2.58 μg/m³5 μg/m³20 μg/m³
NO232 μg/m³10 μg/m³40 μg/m³

Re-weight what matters — is Newcastle upon Tyne right for you?

Adjust the sliders for air quality, life expectancy and GP access; the ranking re-computes live and shows where this area lands under your own priorities.

What matters to you? (re-weight the pillars)

Weights are normalised automatically. Defaults: 40% air, 35% life expectancy, 25% GP access.

Under your weighting, Newcastle upon Tyne scores 54 / 100 and ranks 115 of 145 English upper-tier local authorities.

Air (max PM2.5 / NO2)
8 / 32 μg/m³
sub-score 51/100
Life expectancy
79.9 years
sub-score 32.7/100
GP practices Good/Outstanding
96.6%
sub-score 88.7/100

Wherever you live, a GeraClinic UK-registered clinician can see you by secure video — useful where local GP access is stretched.

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Top 5 healthiest places under your weighting

  1. 1. Rutland92.9 / 100
  2. 2. Wokingham79.4 / 100
  3. 3. Dorset79.1 / 100
  4. 4. Richmond upon Thames79.1 / 100
  5. 5. Bracknell Forest79 / 100

Other North East areas, ranked

Newcastle upon Tyne: frequently asked questions

Is Newcastle upon Tyne a healthy place to live?
Newcastle upon Tyne scores 54 / 100 on the Gera Healthy-Place Index, ranking 115 of 145 English upper-tier local authorities (1 = healthiest). It records a maximum modelled annual-mean of 8 μg/m³ PM2.5 and 32 μg/m³ NO2 (DEFRA 2024), life expectancy of 79.9 years (ONS) and 96.6% of its GP practices rated Good or Outstanding by the CQC.
What is the air quality in Newcastle upon Tyne?
In Newcastle upon Tyne, the highest modelled annual-mean concentrations across the authority in 2024 were 8 μg/m³ for PM2.5 and 32 μg/m³ for NO2 (DEFRA UK-AIR compliance data). For comparison, the WHO 2021 annual-mean guideline values are 5 μg/m³ (PM2.5) and 10 μg/m³ (NO2), and the UK statutory limit values are 20 μg/m³ (PM2.5) and 40 μg/m³ (NO2).
How does Newcastle upon Tyne compare to other areas?
Newcastle upon Tyne ranks 115 of 145 on the Gera Healthy-Place Index, with 114 areas scoring higher. Its pillar sub-scores (0–100, higher = better) are 51 for air quality, 32.7 for life expectancy and 88.7 for GP access. The healthiest-ranked area overall is Rutland (92.9 / 100).
Where does this data for Newcastle upon Tyne come from?
Air quality is DEFRA UK-AIR Local Authority annual-mean data (2024); life expectancy is the ONS estimate for Newcastle upon Tyne (ONS code E08000021); GP access is the share of CQC-rated GP practices rated Good or Outstanding. All three are Open Government Licence v3.0. The composite is computed by Gera and the underlying figures are unaltered — none is estimated.

Healthcare in Newcastle upon Tyne

Wherever Newcastle upon Tyne ranks, a GeraClinic UK-registered clinician can see you by secure video — useful where local GP access is stretched. Often same-day.

Contains public sector information published by Gera Systems and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (source data). Source: Gera Healthy-Place Index — composite of DEFRA + ONS + CQC open data (Air 2024 calendar year; life expectancy 2017-19; GP ratings 2026-06-01, published 19 June 2026).

Reference: the included-area mean is 9.4 μg/m³ PM2.5, 26.8 μg/m³ NO2, 81.4 years life expectancy, 95.9% GP practices Good/Outstanding. Healthiest overall: Rutland (92.9/100). See the methodology.