Health and life expectancy: deprivation

Life expectancy (LE) and healthy life expectancy (HLE) vary according to levels of socio-economic deprivation.  For both males and females, LE and HLE are shorter for those living in more deprived areas compared to those living in less deprived areas.  There are also differences in the recent trends in LE and HLE according to the level of deprivation. 

LE and HLE by deprivation decile and quintile are published annually by NRS.

The degree of socio-economic deprivation is often assessed using the Scottish Government's Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Small geographical areas (known as datazones) are ranked according to their SIMD scores and these are then grouped into either deciles (each containing 10% of the datazones) or quintiles (each containing 20% of the datazones).

Chart 1 uses NRS data to show trends in Scottish LE and HLE by deprivation quintile for males and females. Note deprivation breakdowns of HLE estimates calculated using revised NRS/ONS methodology are expect in winter 2025. Figures published below are not available beyond 2019-2021 and are not directly comparable to HLE estimates produced using revised methodology. 

Presenting LE and HLE estimates according to SIMD quintiles or deciles is one way of evaluating the impact of deprivation on these measures.  The ScotPHO online profiles tool provides some additional metrics that can be used to interpret trends in the patterns of inequality in life expectancy within Scotland, NHS boards and council areas (see ‘Inequalities’ tab).  These additional metrics include summary measure such as the slope index of inequality (SII), relative index of inequality (RII) and population attributable fraction (PAF).

The Scottish government ‘Long-term monitoring of health inequalities report’ and National Care Service: health and demographic profile also include descriptions of recent trends in both LE and HLE