Islington named healthiest city in the UK, according to new study

A new study by The Lagom Clinic has looked at the numbers, examining 50 major cities across the country to see who’s truly leading the way in health and well-being.

To get a clear picture, researchers looked at 14 different metrics grouped into three categories: Healthcare & Environment, Health Outcomes, and Lifestyle & Behaviours. Each city was given a total score, combining these measures to create a league table of the UK’s healthiest spots.

Healthcare & Environment, which made up 30% of the score, included factors like air quality, pollution, GP availability, and pharmacy access. Health Outcomes, weighted at 40%, tracked cancer rates, childhood obesity, diabetes, alcohol-related deaths, smoking prevalence, and hospital admissions linked to liver disease. Finally, Lifestyle & Behaviours (30%) looked at physical activity levels and how easy it is for locals to stay fit, from gyms and sports centres to green spaces.

The study leaned on sources such as IQAir for pollution data, Cancer Research UK for incidence rates, the Office for National Statistics, and even TripAdvisor to help measure accessibility to facilities.

Islington came out on top, ranking 1st overall with a score of 72.31, and it’s easy to see why. The London borough is a fitness hotspot, with physical activity levels at an impressive 77.8%, the highest in the study. It also takes first place for the number of sports facilities and green spaces per 10,000 people, making it a dream for gym-goers, joggers, and anyone who prefers to unwind in nature. While it doesn’t shine in every metric, ranking 34th for cancer incidence and 23rd for childhood obesity, its lifestyle-friendly infrastructure makes up for it.

The borough’s mix of leafy squares and modern leisure centres makes staying active feel less like a chore and more like part of everyday life. Add in the fact that Islington has been working hard to expand its car-free zones and encourage cycling, and you can see why it’s sitting comfortably at number one. It proves that urban living doesn’t necessarily mean unhealthy living.

Meanwhile, Oxford takes 2nd place overall with a score of 66.80, ranking among the best for GP access (1,481 patients per GP, 3rd) and pharmacy availability (7.7 per 10,000, also 3rd). The city also posts strong results for diabetes prevalence at 5.6% (4th), while green space access puts it in 11th place. Edinburgh follows in 3rd with 58.85, leading the nation for childhood obesity at just 17.8% and offering good GP access (14th) but struggling for pharmacy density (25th) and green space availability (47th).

Reading ranks 4th with 58.62 thanks to excellent health outcomes, including the lowest liver disease admissions in the country (5.35 per 10,000) and strong cancer incidence rates (10th). Bristol comes 5th at 56.44, with high physical activity levels (74.4%, 2nd) offsetting weaker access to sports facilities (45th). Rounding out the top 10 are Milton Keynes (6th, strong on low pollution and smoking), Preston (7th, least polluted city with great cancer outcomes), Cardiff (8th, best UK air quality), Derby (9th, top-tier GP and pharmacy access but high cancer rates), and Manchester (10th, leading for pharmacy density but lagging on obesity and sports facilities).

At the other end of the scale, places like Walsall, Dudley, Wolverhampton, Archway, Blackpool, London, Mansfield, and Wigan lagged behind, all scoring below 36. These results highlight how unevenly health opportunities are spread across the UK, and why some cities are leaps ahead in building healthier communities.

Top 20 list of the healthiest cities in the UK: