Life Expectancy for Special Areas

30 November 2010

The Registrar General for Scotland today published a report on the differences in life expectancy between urban and rural areas, deprived and less deprived areas, and Community Health Partnership areas. The report shows life expectancy in the period 2007-2009.

Commenting on these results, Registrar General for Scotland Duncan Macniven said:

“This report shows that life expectancy varies a great deal across Scotland. People living in rural areas, in general, live longer than those in towns. And men in the least deprived areas of Scotland can expect to live 13.4 years more than those in the most deprived areas, while women in the least deprived areas can expect to live 9.0 years more than those in the most.”

Key points in this report for life expectancy at birth in 2007-2009

Men in rural areas – remote and accessible – can expect to live around 3.6 years longer (77.6 and 77.9 years respectively) than men in large urban areas (74.0 years).
Women in rural areas – remote and accessible – can expect to live around 2 years longer (81.8 and 81.5 years respectively) than women in large urban areas (79.5 years).
Life expectancy increases as deprivation decreases.
Men in the 10 per cent least deprived areas of Scotland can expect to live for 13.4 years longer than men in the 10 per cent most deprived areas (81.1 years compared with 67.7 years).
Women in the 10 per cent least deprived areas of Scotland can expect to live around 9 years longer than those in the 10 per cent most deprived areas (84.4 years compared with 75.4 years).
At the two extremes, men in East Dunbartonshire Community Health Partnership area can expect to live around 8 years longer than men in North and East Glasgow Community Health and Care Partnership areas (78.3 years compared to 69.8 and 70.1 years respectively).
Similarly, women in East Dunbartonshire Community Health Partnership area can expect to live around 6 years longer than women in North and East Glasgow Community Health and Care Partnership areas (83.1 years compared to 76.2 and 77.3 years respectively).
In the 10 years since 1997-1999, life expectancy at birth has increased in every Community Health Partnership area, although in 12 cases by a margin so small or non-significant that it may be a consequence of the volatile nature of life expectancy estimates in small areas.
For men, the largest increase in life expectancy at birth, over the 10 year period, was in Mid Highland (an improvement of 6.2 per cent or 4.5 years) and for women in East Dunbartonshire (an improvement of 4.5 per cent or 3.6 years).
The gap between the Community Health Partnership area with the highest male life expectancy at birth and the area with the lowest decreased by 0.8 years (from 9.3 years in 1997-1999 to 8.5 years in 2007-2009); for females it has increased by 0.5 years (from 6.4 years in 1997-1999 to 6.9 years in 2007-2009).
The gap between male and female life expectancy narrowed in all but 7 of the Community Health Partnership areas. The largest decrease (2.6 years) was in North Highland (3.4 years in 2007-2009 compared to 6.0 years in 1997-1999).

The full publication Life Expectancy in Special Areas (Urban/Rural, Deprivation and Community Health Partnership) within Scotland, 2007-2009 is available on this website.