A NEW report shows Scotland is facing both the largest decline and the lowest overall healthy life expectancy in the UK – falling by three years over the past decade.
Healthy life expectancy (HLE) is the average number of years a person would expect to live in good health based on current mortality rates and levels of self-reported good health.
New data from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) revealed that as of 2022 to 2024, this figure dropped below 60 years old for the first time, sitting at 59.1 years for male and 59.4 years for female.
The NRS also stated that Scotland is projected to see a decline in population in the next 25 years to mid-2049, of -1.3% and -1%.
Andrew White, head of population and migration statistics at NRS, said: “Scotland has had more deaths than births since 2015.
He said that this is mainly “driven by migration falling from unusually high levels.
Andrew added: “While we continue to project more people moving to Scotland than leaving, we now anticipate these levels to be too low to completely offset the gap between deaths and births.”
According to independent charitable organisation, The Health Foundation, Scottish males have seen the largest decline by 2.5 years, with the country having the unenviable title of lowest male HLE in the UK, at 59.1 years old.
Scottish females have a HLE averaging at 59.4 years old showing the second lowest rating for females across the UK behind Wales.
Data indicates that while overall life expectancy has slightly recovered to pre-pandemic rates, HLE continues to fall, with a 25.6-year gap in healthy years between the most and least deprived areas.
The Health Foundation said: “These findings should mark a watershed moment that sparks a new drive to rebuild the nation’s health.
“Improving health on a par with delivering economic growth as a core objective of government policy.”
As of April 2026, The Health Foundation published a new report titled Building a healthier UK, Our strategy 2030.
Within this 5-year strategy, The Health Foundation stated that they “will work to put health and inequalities at the heart of policy and decision making and shape the future of the health and care system to ensure the best care is available for all”.
The aim of this is to provide clear, actionable insights for policymakers, advocates and health professionals concerned with improving life expectancy and reducing health inequalities in the UK.
According to Public Health Scotland, the HLE in Scotland between 2022-2024 differs by 23.4 years for females and 20.8 years for males between the 20% most and least deprived areas.
The Health Foundation plan to support local authorities by producing public health insights to reduce health risks and improve life expectancy in deprived areas.
The organisation stated: “In our new strategy, we will play a stronger role in identifying solutions to problems in health and care, bringing people together to shape the debate, and evaluating and spreading innovations that could transform services.”
