Kingston has been named as the second-best place in the UK to be born and to live in by The Times, using a new national index that ranks local authorities on quality-of-life standards. These factors include life expectancy, child poverty, pollution, disposable income, housing affordability, avoidable mortality, and economic activity across age groups. Kingston scored well on life expectancy measures, with an average life expectancy of 83 years and 8 months, higher than the national average of 81. The borough also came out with high economic activity and low levels of child poverty and pollution. In places like Hart and Kingston, the child poverty rate is 12%, but in the lowest ranked areas it jumps to 40%.
