Healthy life expectancy falls across Scotland

The latest figures for the 2022 to 2024 period shows healthy life expectancy is now 59.1 years for men and 59.4 years for women.

Healthy life expectancy, which is the number of years a person can expect to live in good health, has been falling since the mid-2010s for both men and women. Life expectancy has seen a small increase in recent years, however.

The NRS said people living in some of Scotland's most deprived communities were more likely to live in poor health than those in the least deprived areas.

The figures show women have lost almost four years of healthy life expectancy and men have lost three years since 2014 to 2016.

The figures are based on answers to a national survey where respondents rate their health as very good or good rather than fair, bad or very bad.

Does where I live matter?

The report also show wide geographical variations in how long people can expect to live in good health.

North Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire had lower than average healthy life expectancy for both men and women, while North Ayrshire was lower than average for men.

Orkney Islands, East Renfrewshire, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeenshire, East Dunbartonshire and City of Edinburgh all have a higher than average healthy life expectancy.

Deprivation also remains a significant factor in how long people will live in good health.

Those living in the 10% most deprived communities were found to spend much less time in good health and have a lower life expectancy than those in the least deprived areas.

Women in the most deprived areas spent around 60% of life in good health, while men spend around two thirds in good health.

In comparison, men and women in the least deprived areas spend over 80% of their lives in good health.

The NRS noted that life expectancy has not fallen as fast over the same period and has seen a small increase in recent years.

Head of vital events statistics for NRS, Phillipa Haxton, said: "While life expectancy increased to around pre-pandemic levels for both females and males, healthy life expectancy has not increased.

"This means people are likely to be spending a greater proportion of their life in poor health than in previous years.

"The gap between the most and least deprived communities is even more stark for this measure than it is for life expectancy."

Dr Jamie O'Halloran, senior research fellow at the think-tank The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said: "Today's figures show that our health is continuing to deteriorate.

"Most of what shapes our physical and mental health lies outside the health system – whilst reforming the NHS and addressing the elective backlog is important. Without tackling those root causes, we won't see the gains we need."

How does Scotland compare to the rest of the UK?

Additional figures published today by the Office for National Statistics show how Scotland's healthy life expectancy compares with the rest of the UK.

England was found to have the highest healthy life expectancy at birth among UK countries for both men and women, while Scotland had the lowest for males and Wales had the lowest for females.

Across the UK, healthy life expectancy at birth was 60.7 years (77% of life) for men and 60.9 years (73%) for women.

This was a drop of 1.8 and 2.5 years compared with the 2019 to 2021 period, and the lowest level since the time series began in 2011 to 2013.