Life expectancy levels are on the rise in Scotland, recently released official statistics have shown.
According to the Registrar General in Scotland, the average women could expect to live for 80.1 years, which is a 1.9 year increase from a decade ago. Men, meanwhile, now have an average life expectancy of 75.4 years, which is up from 72.7.
Despite the increase, Scotland boasts one of the lowest life expectancy rates in Europe, with men living one year and women 2.3 years less than their European counterparts.
Scottish men can expect to live four years less than Swedish men, while Scottish women 4.9 years less than French women. But Scotland’s public health and sport minister, Shona Robison, welcomed the findings.
She said: “In the current financial climate, it is more important than ever to ensure that increasing healthy life expectancy for all Scots remains a priority.
“However, we are all aware that we still live in a Scotland where the poorest in society suffer from unacceptable inequalities in health.
“This problem cannot be solved overnight and it will take generations to see a change.”
The research, which took place between 2007 and 2009, found a general rise in life expectancy in all regions of the country, with no areas recording a decrease since the last figure were released a decade ago.
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