Life expectancy in Scotland is the lowest in the UK. It was 81.06 years for females and 77.12 years for males in 2022-2024.

For Orkney life expectancy for females was 82.8 years, and 79.3 years for males for the same time period.

During the Covid-19 pandemic life expectancy fell, however, it has now steadily increased bringing it back to its pre-Covid levels.

Where you live is a significant factor on how long you can expect your life to be in Scotland – Glasgow city centre continues to have the lowest life expectancy.

How long you live depends on several factors but deprivation is right there at the top: housing conditions, poverty, poorer medical care, less access to fresh food, lower standards of education, etc.

Life expectancy, however, is expected to increase over the next few years.

Some areas of Health improved such as treatment for circulatory conditions, but these have been offset by increases in drug related deaths, and dementia/Alzheimer’s. And then there was Covid. By 14 January 2022, more than 10,000 people in Scotland had died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19. Today, Covid and the long term effects from contracting it continues to affect life expectancy.

 Since 2017-2019, COVID-19 is the individual factor having the largest negative impact on life expectancy for females and males.

The impact of COVID-19 on life expectancy has lessened compared to 2021-2023. Although the period 2022-2024 excludes 2020 and 2021, where the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 were recorded, COVID-19 is still having a negative impact on life expectancy. – National Records of Scotland.

Click on this link to access the report from the National Records of Scotland Life Expectancy in Scotland 2022 – 2024

Fiona Grahame

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