Life Expectancy

Life expectancy in Grampian underwent considerable improvement between the 1980s and 2010 but this improvement has stalled off over the past 10-15 years. The same trend is, however, evident across Scotland and life expectancy remains higher in Grampian for both females and males (Figure 40).

For the period 2022-24, female life expectancy in Grampian was 82.2 years, up from 76.6 years in 1981-83. Male life expectancy was 78.4 years compared, up from 70.7 years in 1981-83.

However, since 2012-14 there has only been an increase of 0.5 years for females and 0.1 years for males.

Figure 40 – Male and Female Life Expectancy in Grampian and Scotland. Click on the image to enlarge.

Despite the stalling in life expectancy, Grampian continues to have one of the longest female life expectancies in Scotland (figure 41). Females can expect to live 1.1 years longer than across Scotland.

Figure 41 – Health Board Comparison of Female Life Expectancy, 2022-24. Click on the image to enlarge.

Male life expectancy is similar, with males in Grampian living on average 1.2 years longer than across Scotland (Figure 42).

Figure 42 – Health Board Comparison of Male Life Expectancy, 2022-24. Click on the image to enlarge.

Within Grampian, female life expectancy is highest in Aberdeenshire at 82.9 years. Moray also has high life expectancy compared to the rest of Scotland at 82.2 years.

From the 1980s up to 2010 life expectancy in Aberdeen City was well above the Scotland average and comparable to Moray. However, since 2010 a considerable gap has opened up between Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire/Moray with life expectancy now only marginally higher than Scotland as a whole and below Aberdeenshire and Moray – evident among both males and females (Figures 43 and 44).

Figure 43 – Female Life Expectancy by Council Area across Grampian. Click on the image to enlarge.

Figure 44 – Male Life Expectancy by Council Area across Grampian. Click on the image to enlarge.

Aberdeenshire has the fourth highest female life expectancy amongst Scottish council areas (Figure 45) and the third highest male life expectancy (Figure 46).

Figure 45 – Council Area Comparison of Female Life Expectancy, 2022-24. Click on the image to enlarge.

Figure 46  – Council Area Comparison of Male Life Expectancy, 2022-24. Click on the image to enlarge.

Whilst life expectancy in Grampian, compares favourably to Scotland this is reflective of the greater levels of affluence within the board. There remains considerable difference in life expectancy between most and least deprived areas and, of concern, this differential is growing, particularly amongst females.

Females in Grampian living in the least deprived areas could expect to live 84.6 years as opposed to 78.1 years in the least deprived quintile (Figure 47), a difference of 6.5 years. This has grown from a difference of 4.3 years in 2009-13 with improvement of 1.1 years in the least deprived quintile contrasting with a decline of 1.1 years in the most deprived quintile.

Figure 47 – Female Life Expectancy in Grampian, Least and Most Deprived Quintiles. Click on the image to enlarge.

For male life expectancy the contrast is even greater between the most deprived quintile, where men could expect to live 72.9 years and the least deprived quintile, where the life expectancy was 81.5 years for 2020-24 (Figure 48).

The differential has also grown but at a lower rate than with females – from 7.7 years in 2009-2013 to 8.6 years in 2020-24 (Figure 49). Life expectancy in the most deprived quintile declined by 0.6 years, over this period, contrasting with an increase of 0.3 years in the least deprived quintile.

Figure 48 – Male Life Expectancy in Grampian, Least and Most Deprived Quintiles. Click on the image to enlarge.

Figure 49 – Difference in Female (F) and Male (M) Life Expectancy in Grampian between most and least deprived quintiles. Click on the image to enlarge.

At a local level, female life expectancy ranged from 73.8 years in Woodside (Aberdeen City) to 90.3 years in Dunecht, Durris and Drumoak (Aberdeenshire) for the period 2020-24. Male life expectancy ranged from 70.6 years in Elgin Cathedral to Ashgrove & Pinefield (Moray) to 85.2 years in Garlogie & Elrick (Aberdeenshire) (ScotPHO profiles)

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