Health life expectancy: local authorities

Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) ceased to exist on 1 April 2015, following recommendations in the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 (asp 9). Therefore LE/HLE data are now presented at local authority level for the 32 local authorities (also known as council areas) within Scotland.

Males

The table and chart within the Excel workbook for males(73KB) show life expectancy (LE) and healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth for the 32 local authorities in Scotland, for the period 2009-2013. The estimates are based on 5 years of data on deaths and populations, and a single year of data for self-assessed health from the Scotland Census for 2011 (the middle year).

  • East Dunbartonshire had the highest male LE at birth (80.3 years), and Glasgow City the lowest male LE at birth (72.6 years).
  • HLE at birth broadly followed the same pattern, with East Dunbartonshire having the highest male HLE (68.3 years), and Glasgow City the lowest (55.9 years). This means that a boy born during 2009-2013, subject to the self-assessed health and mortality patterns for Glasgow City during that period, would be expected to live in a healthy state for 12.4 years less than a similar baby experiencing the patterns for nearby East Dunbartonshire.
  • Orkney and Aberdeenshire had the shortest period expected to be spent in 'not healthy' health (LE minus HLE); 10.8 and 10.9 years respectively. By contrast, Glasgow City had the longest period expected to be spent in 'not healthy' health (16.7 years).

Females

The table and chart within the Excel workbook for females (73KB) show the comparable data for LE and HLE at birth for females for the 32 local authorities in Scotland, for the period 2009-2013.

  • East Dunbartonshire had the highest female LE at birth (83.4 years), and Glasgow City the lowest female LE at birth (78.4 years).
  • HLE at birth broadly followed the same pattern across the 32 local authorities as LE at birth. Orkney had the highest female HLE (71.0 years), and Glasgow City the lowest (58.5 years). This means that a girl born during 2009-2013, subject to the self-assessed health and mortality patterns for Glasgow City during that period, would be expected to live in a healthy state for nearly 12.5 years less than a similar baby experiencing the patterns for Orkney.
  • Orkney had the shortest period expected to be spent in 'not healthy' health (LE minus HLE); 11.0 years. By contrast, Glasgow City had the longest period expected to be spent in 'not healthy' health (20.0 years). 

Further information

LE and HLE can be estimated for people at various ages, not just at birth.  These data are provided in the Excel workbook for males and females(423KB) for the 32 local authorities in Scotland, based on the 5-year period 2009-2013. These allow the user to look at LE and HLE at ages other than birth (with 95% confidence limits). Also shown for each age group are: the population estimate, number of death registrations, proportion of population surviving to a specific age, number reporting SAH, proportion with 'not healthy' health, and period expected to be spent in 'not healthy' health.

More recent LE data by council area are published by National Records of Scotland (NRS).

Life Expectancy by local authority deprivation quintiles are also published in the ScotPHO Deprivation Profiles.

 The HLE technical paper provides further information on life tables and methodology, data sources, geography, etc.