Orkney has the highest life expectancy in Scotland according to the latest official figures. On average Orcadians can expect to live to 80.3 years, slightly up on the previous record.

The report also looks at how life expectancy varies according to deprivation, council area, health board area and rural or urban areas.

Tim Ellis, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland  and Registrar General for Scotland said:

“The statistics published today show that every council area of Scotland has seen an increase in life expectancy over the past decade, but there is still a lot of variation between areas.

“The report shows that deprivation has a strong effect on life expectancy with people who live in more deprived areas expected to live shorter lives than those in less deprived areas.”

The average life expectancy for Scotland as a whole is  77.1 years for men and 81.2 years for women.

Click on the link to find comparisons for life expectancy across Scotland. Here

“Orkney is projected to have an ageing population over the next 25 years, with a projected increase of 48% for those aged 65 or over. In contrast, the working age population (aged 16-64 years) is projected to fall by 11% between 2014 and 2039.” (National Record of Scotland)

Those who have come to Orkney from areas within the European Economic Area are economically active with over 83% of them in employment. This is higher than that for  Scotland as a whole. They also are more likely to be educated to degree level and above.

Life expectancy in Scottish areas, 2014-2016

People born in the European Economic Area (EEA) living in ORKNEY