8.1.1 The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces national life tables for the UK and constituent countries, which provide estimates of period life expectancy. Responsibility for the production of national life expectancy figures transferred to ONS from the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) on 31 January 2006.
8.1.2 Every ten years a set of graduated (smoothed) life tables for Scotland is published for some years. They are available for the years 1930-1932 to 2000-2002 (excluding 1940-1942) and are available from the Office for National Statistics and National Records of Scotland (NRS) websites.
8.1.3 Also available on the ONS website are ungraduated national life tables (formerly called interim life tables). These are produced annually for Scotland, based on data for a period of three consecutive calendar years.
8.1.4 Because of the differences between complete (single year of age) and abridged (grouped years) life tables, the abridged figures presented in this report for Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales may differ slightly from the national figures published by ONS, which are complete and are the definitive life expectancies for these countries. A detailed description of the standard methods and notation associated with the calculation of life expectancy by ONS is available in the Guide to Calculating National Life Tables section of their website.
8.1.5 Period life expectancies are worked out using the age-specific mortality rates for a given period (either a single year, or aggregated years) which make no allowance for any later actual or projected changes in future mortality. Cohort life expectancies are worked out using age-specific mortality rates which allow for known or projected changes in mortality in later years. Period and cohort life expectancies based on projected mortality rates from the 2012-based national population projections can be accessed from the ONS website.
8.1.6 ONS published Scotland-level ungraduated national life tables for 2010-2012 and the revised 2000-02 to 2009-11 to take account of the revised population estimates based on the 2011 Census on 21 March 2014. These figures are also available in the Life Expectancy pages of the NRS website, within the 'Life Expectancy at Scotland Level' section.
8.1.7 Life expectancy figures used for international comparisons are taken from Table tps00025 of the Eurostat website. Further information on mortality and life expectancy can also be found on the Eurostat website.
8.2.1 Previous NRS publications dedicated to life expectancy in administrative areas (Council and NHS Board) and special areas (Community Health Partnership, Urban/Rural and Deprivation) within Scotland can be found in the Life Expectancy in Scottish Areas (archives section) of the NRS website.
8.2.2 Figures for 2010-2012 will also be published by ONS on 16 April 2014. Earlier life expectancy tables for Scottish Council and NHS Board areas, back to 1981-1983 (in the form of abridged life tables) are available in the Life Expectancy in Scottish Areas (archive section) of the NRS website.
8.2.3 All the tables for the revised life expectancy in administrative areas at Council and NHS Board areas from 2000-02 to 2009-11 can be found in the Life Expectancy in Scottish Areas section of the NRS website.
Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) is defined as the number of years people can expect to live in good health. The difference between life expectancy and HLE indicates the length of time people can expect to spend in poor health. Information on HLE in Scotland was first published in 2004 by the Information Services Division (ISD) of the NHS in Scotland. Up to date information on the topic can be found on the Scottish Public Health Observatory (ScotPHO) website.
Estimates of the resident population of Scotland are prepared by NRS each year. These are available by sex and single year of age for Council and NHS Board areas, together with historical data. Information is also available on a wide range of related topics such as small area population estimates, population projections, migration estimates and data from the 2001 and earlier censuses. For further information please go to the National Records of Scotland website.
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