Photo: Stephen Richards · CC BY-SA 2.0Across Croydon, life expectancy spans 11 years from one area to another
Inside the borough, men’s life expectancy runs from 73.7 in Central Croydon to 84.8 in Kenley South, 3.7 miles apart. Life expectancy is 78.8 for men and 83.7 for women. Across England the figures for 2019 to 2023 are 79.1 and 83.0. Croydon grades C for health: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, early deaths, hospital admissions, child obesity and Census health, each adjusted for age; #22 of 33 in London.
What stands out about health in Croydon
An 11-year gap from one part of Croydon to another
Men in Kenley South can expect to live to 84.8, longer than the English average of 79.1. In Central Croydon, 3.7 miles away, the figure is 73.7, and Central Croydon records 164 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected for its ages. For women the range is 77.3 in Selhurst South & West Croydon to 89.1 in Sanderstead. Neighbourhoods ↓
More of Croydon’s children are obese
25% of Year 6 children (aged 10 to 11) were measured as obese over the last three school years, against 22.3% across England; more than in 86% of UK towns. Health Grade ↓
NHS dentists are easier to get than in most of England
Of adults in the South West London area who tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the last two years, 87% succeeded, 4th highest of 36; across England it was 82%. Dentists ↓
Written from the OHID, NHS England and GP Patient Survey figures on this page. Life expectancy covers 2019 to 2023; neighbourhoods are ONS middle-layer areas of about 8,000 people.
Croydon grades C for health
Healthier than 35% of UK towns, on age-adjusted measures.
What holds the grade back: child obesity and deaths under 75 (better than 14% and 22% of UK towns). What lifts it: disability (68%) and women’s life expectancy (44%). Among the 31 UK towns of 272,000 to 525,000 people, Croydon’s Health Grade is the 11th highest.
Each measure is ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, the ranks are averaged, and the average is ranked again. Every measure allows for the town’s ages: life expectancy is worked out from the death rate at each age, so it doesn’t depend on how old the town’s residents are; deaths and admissions are counted against what England’s rates would give a town with these ages, and the Census answers against England and Wales’s rates by single year of age, so a seaside town of retired people isn’t marked down for being old.
Men’s life expectancy across Croydon runs from 73.7 to 84.8
Life expectancy at birth, 2019–23, in Croydon’s 43 middle-layer neighbourhoods (about 8,000 people each). Circles are sized by residents and show men’s life expectancy.
The gap follows deprivation closely: New Addington North, where 52% of residents are income-deprived, has men’s life expectancy of 77.0. Central Croydon has the most deaths under 75 for its ages (164 per 100 expected), against 62 in Kenley South.
Show every measure as a table
| Neighbourhood | Men | Women | Deaths under 75 | Emergency admissions | Year 6 obese | Income-deprived |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenley South | 84.8 | 85.1 | 62 | 77 | 16% | 13% |
| Addiscombe East | 84.0 | 86.2 | 57 | 76 | 22% | 14% |
| Selsdon | 83.8 | 85.2 | 65 | 76 | 13% | 9.4% |
| Woodmansterne | 83.6 | 84.9 | 71 | 72 | 18% | 11% |
| Sanderstead | 83.1 | 89.1 | 64 | 71 | 15% | 6.2% |
| Shirley West | 83.1 | 87.7 | 60 | 77 | 17% | 11% |
| Monks Orchard | 82.8 | 88.2 | 66 | 76 | 20% | 14% |
| Purley Central | 82.4 | 85.1 | 76 | 79 | 24% | 19% |
| Upper Norwood | 81.7 | 84.6 | 84 | 79 | 23% | 21% |
| Selsdon Park & Hamsey Green | 81.3 | 85.5 | 74 | 85 | 18% | 13% |
| Croham | 81.2 | 86.3 | 88 | 73 | 23% | 20% |
| Park Hill & Lloyd Park | 81.2 | 83.6 | 91 | 77 | 28% | 18% |
| Shirley East | 80.9 | 85.6 | 69 | 82 | 31% | 32% |
| Forestdale | 80.9 | 84.8 | 83 | 78 | 25% | 23% |
| Old Coulsdon | 80.6 | 84.0 | 98 | 87 | 19% | 12% |
| Purley North | 80.4 | 86.4 | 76 | 78 | 20% | 22% |
| Woodcote | 80.2 | 84.2 | 74 | 78 | 17% | 9.8% |
| Thornton Heath West | 80.1 | 85.4 | 84 | 99 | 29% | 29% |
| Coulsdon | 79.9 | 84.6 | 102 | 87 | 19% | 20% |
| Norbury West | 79.8 | 84.7 | 93 | 99 | 27% | 29% |
| Kenley North | 79.7 | 81.8 | 94 | 78 | 20% | 19% |
| South Norwood Hill | 79.3 | 81.9 | 104 | 88 | 26% | 25% |
| Addiscombe North | 78.4 | 83.7 | 101 | 84 | 27% | 25% |
| Crystal Palace Triangle | 78.1 | 82.9 | 100 | 78 | 21% | 25% |
| New Addington Central | 77.2 | 84.0 | 108 | 105 | 24% | 38% |
| West Thornton South & Ampere Way | 77.1 | 85.3 | 116 | 98 | 25% | 35% |
| New Addington North | 77.0 | 79.7 | 125 | 111 | 26% | 52% |
| Croydon Minster & Waddon North | 77.0 | 82.4 | 105 | 92 | 25% | 34% |
| Addiscombe West | 77.0 | 81.7 | 134 | 96 | 31% | 31% |
| West Thornton North | 77.0 | 84.6 | 109 | 94 | 26% | 35% |
| Thornton Heath Central | 77.0 | 83.3 | 116 | 109 | 27% | 39% |
| South Norwood Central | 76.8 | 83.2 | 129 | 91 | 26% | 37% |
| Norbury East | 76.7 | 87.3 | 111 | 107 | 27% | 33% |
| Thornton Heath North East | 76.4 | 84.2 | 102 | 92 | 28% | 27% |
| Thornton Heath North West | 76.3 | 80.9 | 137 | 103 | 27% | 36% |
| Selhurst North | 76.3 | 82.5 | 123 | 98 | 29% | 38% |
| Broad Green & Waddon Marsh | 76.3 | 84.6 | 105 | 105 | 26% | 42% |
| Waddon South | 75.9 | 79.4 | 120 | 101 | 31% | 33% |
| New Addington South | 75.5 | 78.7 | 164 | 124 | 33% | 48% |
| University Hospital & Queen's Road | 75.3 | 80.8 | 149 | 115 | 32% | 47% |
| South End & St Peter's Road | 74.3 | 79.6 | 138 | — | 26% | 33% |
| Selhurst South & West Croydon | 73.7 | 77.3 | 148 | 126 | 27% | 41% |
| Central Croydon | 73.7 | 84.4 | 164 | — | 29% | 31% |
Deaths and admissions per 100 expected for each area’s ages (England = 100). Each figure has a range: Central Croydon’s men’s life expectancy is 73.7 with a 95% range of 70.5 to 77.0. Neighbourhoods are ONS middle-layer areas at least 30% inside Croydon; names are the House of Commons Library’s.
87% of adults in the South West London area who tried got an NHS dental appointment
Adults who tried to get an NHS dental appointment for themselves in the last two years, and got one. GP Patient Survey 2026, by integrated care system (the NHS area that plans dentistry for Croydon).
South West London has the 4th highest of England’s 36 health areas; across England 82% of those who tried got an appointment. Of South West London patients who did, 76% rated the experience good (England 74%). NHS practices taking new patients are listed on the NHS website’s Find a dentist; for urgent dental pain, call NHS 111.
The survey asks GP patients about dentistry, so results are published for health areas, not towns or practices.
Men’s life expectancy in Croydon is 1.0 years above what its level of deprivation predicts
Across 1,996 English towns of 2,500 or more, men’s life expectancy tracks income deprivation closely (correlation −0.81). Each dot is a town.
28% of Croydon’s residents are income-deprived, more than in most English towns. For that level, the line predicts 77.9 years for men; Croydon’s is 78.8. For women it predicts 81.9, and Croydon’s 83.7 is 1.8 years above.
Income deprivation: share of residents in low-income households, English Indices of Deprivation 2025, averaged over each town’s neighbourhoods. A town above or below the line isn’t necessarily doing better or worse on care: students, prisons and hostels inside a boundary all shift the figures.
Care in and near Croydon
The nearest A&E, the practice patients rate highest, and where to go when it’s urgent but not an emergency. In an emergency, call 999.
Croydon Health Services saw 64% of major-A&E patients within four hours
Type 1 (major) A&E attendances seen, admitted or discharged within four hours of arrival, by month. NHS England publishes it by trust, not hospital: Croydon Health Services NHS Trust runs the A&E at Croydon University Hospital, the nearest to Croydon (1.5 mi).
The share seen within four hours slipped from an average of 67% in April 2025 to September 2025 to 62% in the latest six months; England’s was 62%. Long waits for a bed are commoner than at 100% of trusts: 8,182 patients in 12 months, 61% of emergency admissions through A&E. CQC’s latest ratings for Croydon University Hospital: urgent and emergency services requires improvement (2026), the hospital overall requires improvement (2026).
London trusts
Hospitals within 25 miles
| Distance | Hospital | CQC overall | Urgent & emergency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4 mi | Croydon University Hospital A&E Croydon · Croydon Health Services NHS Trust | Requires improvement2026 | Requires improvement2026 |
| 1.4 mi | Moorfields at Croydon University Hospital Croydon · Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Not rated | — |
| 2.4 mi | Purley War Memorial Hospital Purley · Croydon Health Services NHS Trust | Not rated | — |
| 4.1 mi | St Helier Hospital and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children A&E Carshalton · Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust | Requires improvement2026 | Requires improvement2026 |
| 4.9 mi | Sutton Hospital Sutton · Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust | Not rated | — |
| 5.3 mi | St George's Hospital (Tooting) A&E London · St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Requires improvement2026 | Requires improvement2026 |
| 6.4 mi | University Hospital Lewisham A&E London · Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust | Requires improvement2024 | Good2019 |
| 6.4 mi | Princess Royal University Hospital A&E Orpington · King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Requires improvement2026 | Requires improvement2021 |
NHS acute hospitals registered with the Care Quality Commission (care directory, 01 October 2026). “A&E” marks a major (type 1) emergency department, open 24 hours and led by consultants, in NHS England’s Emergency Care Data Set; a hospital without the mark may still have a minor injury unit or urgent treatment centre. Ratings run Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate; the year is when each was published. Distances are straight lines from the town centre.
79% of patients rate Croydon’s 45 GP practices good
GP Patient Survey 2026 (NHS England, run by Ipsos), about 100 patients a practice, against 77% across England. 4th of 28 English towns of 272,000 to 525,000, from the highest.
| Practice | Overall experience | Easy by phone | Wait about right | CQC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Farley Road Medical Practice CR2 7NG · 9,501 adult patients | 97% good · range 87%–99% | 76% | 79% | Good2017 |
| Queenhill Medical Practice CR2 8DU · 5,751 adult patients | 96% good · range 91%–98% | 83% | 82% | Good2018 |
| Upper Norwood Group Practice SE19 2NT · 11,986 adult patients | 94% good · range 81%–98% | 85% | 88% | Good2017 |
| Stovell House Surgery CR0 6AH · 6,816 adult patients | 93% good · range 87%–97% | 94% | 66% | Good2019 |
| Dr Rabiatov Dabo SE25 5QA · 4,464 adult patients | 93% good · range 88%–96% | 89% | 79% | Good2026 |
| Addington Medical Practice CR0 0JA · 7,881 adult patients | 92% good · range 85%–96% | 77% | 68% | Good2021 |
| Dr Umadevi Parameswaran CR0 7AG · 3,551 adult patients | 92% good · range 88%–95% | 77% | 82% | Good2026 |
| Violet Lane Medical Practice CR0 4HN · 8,229 adult patients | 91% good · range 82%–96% | 75% | 85% | Good2019 |
| Old Coulsdon Medical Practice CR5 1HF · 14,861 adult patients | 90% good · range 65%–98% | 69% | 78% | Good2016 |
| South Norwood Hill Medical Centre SE25 6BY · 5,525 adult patients | 89% good · range 84%–93% | 71% | 66% | Good2025 |
| Northway Road Surgery CR0 6JJ · 3,147 adult patients | 89% good · range 84%–93% | 83% | 52% | Not rated |
| Selsdon Park Medical Practice CR2 8LG · 14,262 adult patients | 89% good · range 61%–98% | 66% | 76% | Good2024 |
| Headley Drive Surgery CR0 0QL · 2,063 adult patients | 88% good · range 85%–90% | 79% | 75% | Good2022 |
| Mersham Medical Centre CR7 8JN · 4,020 adult patients | 86% good · range 82%–90% | 78% | 76% | Good2019 |
| Dr Thusitha Gooneratne CR5 2DR · 2,307 adult patients | 86% good · range 83%–88% | 78% | 77% | Good2026 |
| Hartland Way Surgery CR0 8RG · 4,089 adult patients | 85% good · range 81%–89% | 79% | 64% | Good2022 |
| Fairview Medical Centre SW16 5PX · 6,974 adult patients | 85% good · range 76%–91% | 76% | 71% | Good2017 |
| Denmark Road Surgery SE25 5NT · 4,665 adult patients | 83% good · range 76%–88% | 55% | 62% | Good2023 |
| Auckland Surgery SE19 2DF · 6,244 adult patients | 82% good · range 71%–90% | 63% | 65% | Good2023 |
| Dr A T Fernandes and Partners CR7 8LY · 11,948 adult patients | 82% good · range 62%–93% | 65% | 56% | Good2017 |
| St James Medical Centre CR0 2BZ · 7,410 adult patients | 81% good · range 67%–90% | 56% | 57% | Good2017 |
| The Haling Park Partnership CR2 6AD · 2,922 adult patients | 81% good · range 76%–85% | 68% | 67% | Good2016 |
| Birdhurst Medical Practice CR2 7DX · 6,256 adult patients | 81% good · range 73%–87% | 87% | 67% | Good2021 |
| Parkside Group Practice CR2 6EX · 10,859 adult patients | 80% good · range 63%–90% | 50% | 72% | Good2017 |
| Broom Road Medical Practice CR0 8NG · 2,504 adult patients | 80% good · range 76%–83% | 62% | 52% | Good2017 |
| Eversley Medical Centre CR7 6AR · 8,286 adult patients | 80% good · range 65%–89% | 39% | 73% | Good2017 |
| Leander Family Practice CR7 6JE · 7,290 adult patients | 79% good · range 68%–87% | 52% | 68% | Good2026 |
| Shirley Medical Centre CR0 8BH · 6,208 adult patients | 79% good · range 72%–84% | 85% | 73% | Good2025 |
| Dr Rotimi Bakare CR7 7HQ · 6,357 adult patients | 78% good · range 69%–85% | 60% | 61% | Good2016 |
| New Addington Group Practice CR0 0JA · 8,926 adult patients | 77% good · range 64%–87% | 63% | 52% | Good2022 |
The 30 highest-rated of 45 practices shown.
The Farley Road Medical Practice has the borough’s highest rating (97%). East Croydon Medical Centre is by far the largest, with 20,552 adult patients. You can register with any practice whose area covers your address.
GP Patient Survey 2026: surveys sent January to March 2026; results weighted by NHS England. The range is the 95% confidence interval. Adult patients: the survey’s practice population aged 16 and over. A practice counts as in Croydon when its main surgery is inside the built-up area; branch surgeries are part of their main practice. CQC ratings © Care Quality Commission.
85% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2021, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Adjusted for age, 91 report bad health for every 100 expected, fewer than the national rate.
Show as a table
| Census 2021 | Croydon | London | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 85% | 82% |
| Fair health | 11% | 10% | 13% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.3% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled under the Equality Act | 14% | 13% | 17% |
| Day-to-day activities limited a lot | 6.1% | 5.8% | 7.4% |
London and England: all residents of their built-up areas (towns and cities), from the same Census 2021 output areas.
Croydon’s Health Grade is 11th of 31 UK towns of 272,000 to 525,000
Ordered by Health Grade: the top three, the towns either side of Croydon, and others in London. Life expectancy for men / women; deaths under 75 per 100 expected.
| # | Town | People | Life expectancy | Deaths under 75 | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bromley London | 325,469 | 81.3 / 85.1 | 78 | B+ |
| 2 | Barnet London | 388,572 | 81.4 / 85.4 | 77 | B |
| 3 | Wandsworth London | 326,725 | 79.8 / 84.5 | 85 | B− |
| … | |||||
| 9 | Brighton and Hove East Sussex | 277,096 | 78.5 / 82.9 | 104 | C+ |
| 10 | Hounslow London | 286,591 | 79.5 / 83.9 | 94 | C |
| 11 | Croydon London | 389,242 | 78.8 / 83.7 | 102 | C |
| 12 | Lambeth London | 317,108 | 78.2 / 83.1 | 102 | C |
| 13 | Waltham Forest London | 278,129 | 78.5 / 83.6 | 99 | C |
| … | |||||
| 31 | Liverpool Merseyside | 506,564 | 75.7 / 79.6 | 148 | D− |
Health letters rank against every UK town of 1,000 or more; the order here is context only. Welsh towns are graded on life expectancy, healthy life expectancy and the two Census measures: OHID’s early-death, admissions and child-obesity figures cover England.
Health in the places around Croydon
Life expectancy for men / women, and the nearest A&E. Tap a town for its health page.
| Town | People | Life expectancy | Nearest A&E | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croydon | 389,242 | 78.8 / 83.7 | 1.5 mi | C |
| Sutton | 208,858 | 80.2 / 84.3 | 1 mi | B− |
| Warlingham | 8,918 | 81.8 / 85.8 | 5.9 mi | A− |
| Whyteleafe | 3,174 | 83.8 / 87.7 | 5.9 mi | A |
| Merton | 214,931 | 79.9 / 84.6 | 1.4 mi | B− |
| Chipstead and Woodmansterne | 4,523 | 82.3 / 85.0 | 4.6 mi | A |
| Bromley | 325,469 | 81.3 / 85.1 | 2.3 mi | B+ |
| Caterham | 22,757 | 80.3 / 84.3 | 5.7 mi | B |
Whyteleafe, 4.6 miles away, has men’s life expectancy of 83.8, 5.0 years longer than Croydon’s.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- A&E figures are for the trust. NHS England publishes four-hour waits by trust, not hospital, so Croydon Health Services NHS Trust’s figures cover every major A&E it runs. They count type 1 (major) departments; minor injury units and urgent treatment centres are left out, which is why they sit below the all-types figure NHS England headlines (75% for England).
- The GP survey is a survey. About 100 patients answer for each practice, so a practice’s figure has a range (shown in the table); small differences between practices aren’t meaningful. The town figure weights each practice by its adult patients, some of whom live outside Croydon.
- Adjusted for age. A ratio of 100 means as many deaths, admissions or reports of bad health as England’s rates (England and Wales’s for the Census) would give a town with these ages; 120 means a fifth more.
- Small areas, summed to the town. OHID publishes these figures for middle-layer areas of about 8,000 people; the town’s figure averages the areas it covers, weighted by how many of their residents live in it, so a village shares its area’s figure with the countryside around it.
- Different years. Life expectancy and deaths cover 2019 to 2023; emergency admissions 2016/17 to 2020/21 (the latest OHID publishes for small areas, including the pandemic dip); child obesity the three school years to 2024/25; A&E the 12 months to September 2026; the GP Patient Survey early 2026; CQC ratings were published on different dates, shown in each row.
- Distances are straight lines. Miles are measured from the town’s centre to each site; the road is longer. For an emergency, call 999; for urgent advice, call NHS 111.
Questions about health in Croydon
How healthy is Croydon?
Croydon earns a C for health, healthier than 35% of UK towns on measures adjusted for age, and 11th of 31 UK towns of its size. Life expectancy is 78.8 for men and 83.7 for women (England 79.1 and 83.0), and there are 102 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected.
Which parts of Croydon have the highest life expectancy?
For men, Kenley South (84.8), Addiscombe East (84.0) and Selsdon (83.8); the shortest is Central Croydon (73.7). For women, Sanderstead is highest (89.1) and Selhurst South & West Croydon lowest (77.3). OHID figures for 2019 to 2023, by neighbourhood of about 8,000 people.
How long are A&E waits at Croydon University Hospital?
NHS England publishes waits for the trust, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. In the 12 months to September 2026 it saw 64% of major-A&E patients within four hours, against 61% across England; in September 2026 the figure was 63%. In an emergency call 999; for urgent advice call NHS 111.
Can I get an NHS dentist in Croydon?
It is easier than in most of England. In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 87% of adults in the South West London area who tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the last two years got one, against 82% across England. Practices taking new NHS patients are listed on the NHS website’s Find a dentist service.
Which GP practice in Croydon do patients rate highest?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, The Farley Road Medical Practice (97% good overall), Queenhill Medical Practice (96% good overall) and Upper Norwood Group Practice (94% good overall). Across all 45 Croydon practices, 79% of patients rate their practice good, against 77% in England.
What is the life expectancy in Croydon?
78.8 years for men and 83.7 for women, on OHID’s figures for 2019 to 2023. Men can expect 65.4 of those years and women 66.8 in good health.
CQC ratings © Care Quality Commission.
Sources: OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (life expectancy and deaths 2019–23, emergency admissions 2016/17–2020/21, NCMP 2022/23–2024/25); House of Commons Library MSOA names · ONS health state life expectancy for small areas (MSOAs), England and Wales, 2019 to 2023 (healthy life expectancy) · ONS Census 2021 general health and disability, adjusted for age · Care Quality Commission care directory and latest ratings, 01 October 2026 · NHS Organisation Data Service · GP Patient Survey 2026 (NHS England, run by Ipsos) · NHS England, A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions (monthly, by trust) and Emergency Care Data Set activity by site, June–September 2026 (type 1 A&Es) · MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025 · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.