Every few years, headlines emerge about how Scots have the lowest life expectancy in western Europe. This was true in 2005, 2010, and most recently earlier this month, when Paul Johnston, the head of Public Health Scotland, highlighted that life expectancy stalled around 2014 to 2016, then declined in recent years. At the moment men and women in Scotland are expected to die just over two years earlier than those in England.
What exactly is happening in Scotland to explain this pattern, and are we (I say “we” given that I’ve lived in the nation for roughly a decade) really that different from other parts of the UK and Europe? The first issue to highlight is that life expectancy differs based on where you live. In Glasgow, life expectancy varies hugely between the richer and poorer parts of the city. In 2021, if you lived in Pollokshields West, life expectancy was 83 years, while in Greater Govan it was 65.4 – a gap of 18 years. Averages hide a deeper story linked to deprivation and inequality within Scotland. Where and how you live plays a crucial role in how long you live.
