The average length of time people in Scotland can expect to live in good health has fallen to a near 10-year low according to the latest figures.

Published today, the National Records of Scotland (NRS) report shows estimated healthy life expectancy for both men and women has reached the lowest since records began in 2014.

The latest figures for 2021-23 show women can expect to live in good health for 60 years.

For men in Scotland, healthy life expectancy is slightly lower at 59.6 years.

While healthy life expectancy at birth reached a high for both men and women in 2014-16, it has been falling since then – with this latest decline representing the lowest in the last decade.

NRS also reports that healthy life expectancy is falling at a faster rate than life expectancy for both men and women, reflecting the growing need for health and care services across Scotland.

Professor Andrew Elder, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said the college is “deeply concerned” by the findings and it must be a priority to fully understand the underlying factors.

Professor Elder told healthandcare.scot the government should consider adopting healthy life expectancy – alone or in combination with overall life expectancy – into its public health strategies to ensure services can meet demand:

“Any decline in healthy life expectancy, when overall life expectancy remains static, leads to a longer period of ill health and often disability and dependency before death.

“This means that our social care networks, and health service, must be configured and strengthened to deal with people in this phase of their life.”

The figures also reveal widening inequalities in healthy life expectancy across council areas and health boards.

Scots living in Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, and Perth and Kinross are estimated to live for longer in good health.

Meanwhile, those in North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Dundee and Glasgow have the lowest healthy life expectancy.

Phillipa Haxton, head of vital events statistics at NRS, said:

“Between mainland authorities there are big differences in healthy life expectancy at birth.

“North Lanarkshire and North Ayrshire have the lowest healthy life expectancies for males and females.

“This compares with Perth and Kinross where the average female has around 14 years longer healthy life expectancy and the average male around 13 years more spent in good health.”

Professor Elder added that more targeted action is needed to reach people in different areas and support preventative health efforts:

“We are also disturbed that this report once again lays bare the unacceptable gap in healthy life expectancy between different areas in Scotland.

“We need to see much more action targeted at tackling health inequalities with a focus on those areas of greatest socio-economic need and effective programmes in the key areas of preventative health.

“Doctors need to have adequate time to speak to their patients and discuss with them key lifestyle factors that can drive poor health like diet, alcohol-use, smoking and a lack of physical activity and how they can be supported to make choices that boost their health and access local programmes that are effective.”

The findings released today are based on official statistics in development, with new methods of estimating healthy life expectancy and NRS says there is greater uncertainty in estimtes for island authorities like Shetland and Orkney, given their smaller populations.

Healthy life expectancy is also falling in Wales and England, but it is higher in England for both men and women than in Scotland.

NRS plans to include estimates of healthy life expectancy by area deprivation and urban and rural areas in Scotland in its next release, to match that in England and Wales.

Public Health Minister Jenni Minto told healthandcare.scot the findings are concerning, adding:

“These statistics and new methodology are in development but will assist our further planning of our health and care services.

“However, this government is also clear that over a decade of Westminster austerity has had a devastating impact on the health and wellbeing of families, pushing more households into poverty.

“The UK government must urgently reverse its planned welfare cuts to prevent any further harm to our population’s health.”

Read more: Scots from poorer areas less likely to survive stroke; “Get ready now” for advances in dementia care; Chief Medic: ‘Critical connections’ priority; Joint pharmacy project cuts adverse events; “Relentless focus” on addressing health inequalities; Watchdog criticises homelessness service cuts; Medics warn pollution is risking children's health

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