The Registrar General for Scotland today published a report on 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 2006-2008.

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

“This report shows that life expectancy varies a great deal across Scotland. In general, people in the countryside live longer than people in towns. And there is a big difference in expected lifespans between the most deprived and least deprived areas – over 13 years for men and 9 years for women.”

The key points in this report for life expectancy at birth in 2006-2008 are:

Men in rural areas – remote and accessible – can expect to live over 3.5 years longer (77.2 and 77.5 years respectively) than men in large urban (73.7 years);

Women in rural areas – remote and accessible – can expect to live around 2 years longer (81.4 and 81.2 years respectively) than women in large urban areas (79.3 years);

Life expectancy decreases as deprivation increases;

Men in the 10 per cent least deprived areas of Scotland can expect to live for 13.5 years longer than men in the 10 per cent most deprived areas (80.8 years compared with 67.3 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 (84.1 years compared with 75.1 years);

Men in East Dunbartonshire Community Health Partnership area can expect to live over 8 years longer than men in North and East Glasgow Community Health and Care Partnership areas (78.0 years compared to 69.4 and 69.6 years respectively);

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 (82.5 years compared to 76.0 and 76.8 years respectively);

In the 10 years since 1996-1998, life expectancy at birth has increased in every Community Health Partnership area, although in 11 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 West Lothian Community Health Partnership area with 5.7 per cent (an improvement of 4.1 years) and for women in East Dunbartonshire Community Health Partnership area with 3.8 per cent (an improvement of 3.0 years);

The gap of 8.6 years between the Community Health Partnership area with the highest male life expectancy at birth and the Community Health Partnership area with the lowest has not changed over the 10 year period; for females it has increased by 0.7 years (from 5.8 years in 1996-1998 to 6.5 years in 2006-2008);

The gap between male and female life expectancy narrowed in all but 6 of the Community Health Partnership areas. The largest decrease (2.2 years) was in North Highland (4.0 years in 2006-2008 compared to 6.2 years in 1996-1998).

The full publication, Life Expectancy in Special Areas 2006-2008, is available on this website.