NHS Health Checks

• A health check for adults in England is offered to anyone from the ages of 40 to 74 in Oldham 41.4% of people took up their NHS Health Check invite in 2024/25. This is higher than the England average of 37.5%.

Obesity & Healthy Eating

• Oldham has had a consistently higher proportion of adults classified as overweight or obese compared to the national average. The latest figures highlight that 71.3% of adults in Oldham are classified as overweight or obese. This is higher than the England average of 64.5% (2023/2024)
• 24.5% of people (adults) in Oldham meet the recommended '5-a-day' on a usual day. This is lower than the England average of 31.3% (2023/24).

Physical Activity

• The latest figures show that 58.5% of adults in Oldham are physically active, compared to 67.4% across England (2023/24).

Alcohol

• The latest figures show 527 Admission Episodes for Alcohol related Conditions in Oldham per 100,000 in 2023/24. This is higher than the England average of 504 per 100,000. 
• Oldham also sees a higher rate of mortality due to alcohol. The latest data shows there were 53.0 per 100,000 alcohol related deaths in 2023. This is higher than the England average of 40.7 per 100,000.

• Over the last decade smoking rates have fallen in Oldham and across England however smoking rates in Oldham remain consistently higher than the national rate. The latest data shows that 16.7% of adults in Oldham are smokers. This is similar to the England average of 14.7% (2022/23)

• Oldham's rate of deaths from drug misuse were 5.6 per 100,000 in 2021-23, similar to the England rate of 5.5 per 100,000.

Sexual health

• The STI diagnosis rate in Oldham is consistently lower than the national rate. The latest figures show Oldham's new STI diagnosis rate (excluding chlamydia for those aged under 25) for 2024 was 340 per 100,000, compared to the average rate in England of 482 per 100,000. However the STI testing rate is also consistently lower than the national average. The current rate is 2,443 per 100,000 in Oldham compared to 4,089 per 100,000 for England.

• In Oldham, 2.1% of residents aged 18+ are recorded as having depression. This is higher than the England average of 1.5% (2023/24). 
• Oldham has a similar suicide rate compared to the national average. The latest data shows in Oldham the suicide rate was 10.0 per 100,000 compared to the national rate at 10.7 per 100,000 (2021-23).

• According to the 2021 Census, 9.2% of residents aged 5 and over look after, or give any help or support to, someone because they have long-term physical or mental health conditions or illnesses, or problems related to old age.
• 3% of residents responded that they provide 50 or more hours of unpaid care per week.

• Unemployment currently stands at 7.0% (June 2025). Oldham has the highest claimant rate in GM and a rate higher than England (4.3%).
• Youth Unemployment currently stands at 9.2% (June 2025). Similarly to the general unemployment rate, Oldham is highest in GM and has a rate higher than the national average (5.5%).

• The percentage of patients registered on GP practice registers as having a learning disability is higher in Oldham (0.7%) than England (0.6%) (2023/24).

• 3.2% (5,941 people) of Oldham's 16+ population have served in the Armed Forces, according to the 2021 Census. This is lower than the national average of 3.8%.