Healthy Life Expectancy

Healthy life expectancy exhibits a worrying decline over the same period (Figure 46), a trend which is also evident across the rest of Scotland. the UK (Healthy life expectancy, UK – Office for National Statistics)

For the period 2022-24, females in Grampian could expect to spend 62.2 years (76% of expected life) in “good” general health. This was longer than across Scotland (59.4 years) and the UK (60.9 years) but represented a fall of 4 years compared to 2013-15. Note that “good” health is based on how people assess their own health in the Annual Population Survey.

Males in Grampian could expect to spend 61.6 years (79% of life) in “good” general health. This was longer than across Scotland (59.1 years) and the UK (60.7 years) but constituted a decline of 3.3 years compared to 2013-15.

Within Grampian, healthy life expectancy was highest in Aberdeenshire at 64.1 years for males and 64.7 years for females (Figure 47). This compared to 58.8 years for males and 59.0 years for females in Aberdeen City. In Moray healthy life expectancy was 61.3 years for males and 62.5 years.

Figure 46 – Healthy Life Expectancy Trend in Grampian. Click on the image to enlarge.

Figure 47 – Healthy Life Expectancy (Years), 2022-24. Click on the image to enlarge.

Aberdeen City has seen a marked drop in healthy life expectancy. In 2013-15 it was higher than both Scotland and the United Kingdom, for males and females, whereas now it is lower than both (Figure 48).

Male healthy life expectancy in Aberdeen City reduced by 5.0 years between 2013-15 and 2022-24 while female healthy life expectancy fell by 6.7 years   which was the greatest decline recorded amongst Scotlands 32 Local Authority areas.

Figure 48 – Change in Healthy Life Expectancy (years), 2013-15 to 2022-24. Click on the image to enlarge.

The proportion of life spent in good health in Grampian declined from 81% in 2013-15 to 76% in 2022-24 for females and from 83% to 79% for males over the same period (Figure 49).

Figure 49 – Proportion of Life Spent in Good Health in Grampian. Click on the image to enlarge.

Consistent with the drop in healthy life expectancy, the proportion of life spent good health in Aberdeen City has seen a noticeable decline. For females it reduced from 81% in 2013-15, three percentage points above the Scottish average, to 73% in 2022-24, equal to the Scottish average (Figure 50).

Figure 50 – Proportion of Life Spent in Good Health (Females). Click on the image to enlarge.

For males in Aberdeen City the decline has been less marked, from 83% to 76% (Figure 51) this has resulted in it going from being three percentage points above the Scotland average to one percentage point below.

Figure 51 – Proportion of Life Spent in Good Health (Males). Click on the image to enlarge.

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