Life expectancy improvements have stalled in Scotland

Life expectancy for those born in Scotland in 2016-2018 was 77.0 years for males and 81.1 years for females, according to statistics published today by National Records of Scotland.

The figures show there has been virtually no change in life expectancy in Scotland since the 2012-2014 estimates.

Life expectancy at birth

• Life expectancy for those born in 2016-2018 was 77.0 years for males and 81.1 years for females.
• Between 2015-2017 and 2016-2018 life expectancy has changed by less than 0.1 years for both males and females.
• There was also almost no change between the 2012-2014 and 2016-2018 life expectancy estimates, indicating that life expectancy has stalled in Scotland.
• Female life expectancy has remained higher than male life expectancy throughout the last 35 years. However, the gap has decreased from 6.2 years for people born in 1980-1982 to 4.1 years for people born in 2016-2018.
• Since 1980-1982, life expectancy in Scotland has increased by 7.9 years for males and 5.8 years for females.
• The 2016-based population projections for Scotland project that life expectancy will increase in the future, reaching 81.7 years for males and 84.5 years for females by 2041.

The publication Life Tables for Scotland 2016-2018 and an Infographic are available on this website.