The estimated average number of years that a new born baby could be expected to live in ‘good’ or ‘very good’ health based on how individuals perceive their general health. Find out more about this indicator.

Over the last decade healthy life expectancy has increased for males and decreased for females.  However, both males and females experienced a decrease  in healthy life expectancy over the latest year.  

The decrease in healthy life expectancy coincides with a stalling of growth in life expectancy in recent years, and has resulted in a lower proportion of life being spent in good health with 79.9% for males and 76.3% for females. This represents a healthy life expectancy of 61.7 years for males and 61.9 years for females.

The local authority with the lowest male HLE estimate was Glasgow City (54.6 years) and for female estimates North Ayrshire (56.3 years). The local authority with the highest male HLE estimate was East Dunbartonshire (69.8 years) and for female estimates was Orkney Islands (75.1 years).

The gap in healthy life expectancy at birth between the most and least deprived areas was 25.1 years for males and 21.5 years for females.

Those living in the most rural areas have a higher healthy life expectancy than those living in the most urban areas. The difference in healthy life expectancy estimates for males is 6.0 years and for females is 5.5 years.

Breakdowns for this indicator are available by local authority, health board, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban/rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Average score on Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). Find out more about this indicator.

The mean Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) score in 2019 was 49.8. This is higher than the mean WEMWBS score in 2018 (49.4) although this increase is not significant at the 95% confidence limit. Across the time series mean scores have ranged between 49.4 and 50.0).

Adults in the 65-74 age group had the highest average wellbeing (52.0) compared to adults aged  25-34 who had the lowest average wellbeing (49.1)

There was little difference between the scores for men (49.9) and women (49.7)

Those living in most deprived areas reported lower average mental wellbeing (46.9) compared to those living in the least deprived areas (51.5)

People with a limiting long-term health condition had  lower mean average mental wellbeing (45.4) compared to those who were not disabled (51.9)

There was little difference in mental wellbeing scores between urban areas (49.5) and rural areas (50.7)

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, Disability and urban rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Percentage of adults (aged 16+) who are a healthy weight. Find out more about this indicator.

The percentage of adults (aged 16+) who were a normal weight in 2019 was 33%, the same as in 2018. The percentage of adults who are a normal weight has remained relatively stable over the past few years, ranging from 33%-35% between 2008 and 2019.

The percentage of children (aged 2 to 15) who are a healthy weight was 68% in 2019, a decrease of 2 percentage points since 2018. This decrease does not represent a significant change at the 95% confidence interval.

The proportion of healthy-weight children has fluctuated since 2008, with the lowest prevalence occurring in 2011 (65%) and the highest in 2015 and 2017 (both 72%).

Overall, more young adults were at a normal weight compared to older adults. The age group with the greatest percentage at a normal weight was the 16-24 group at 54%, while the age group with the smallest percentage at a normal weight was the 65-74 age group (21%).

Among children, 62% of those aged  12-15 were at a healthy weight, compared to 73% of the 7-11 age group and 68% in the 2-6 age group.

29% of men were at a healthy weight in 2019, compared to 36% of women.

This difference was similar in children, with 66% of boys at a healthy weight in 2019, compared with 70% of girls.

28% of adults with a limiting long-term health condition were at a normal weight in 2019, compared to 35% of those who did not have a limiting long-term condition.

For adults, 26% of adults in the most deprived areas were at a healthy weight, compared to 38% of those in the least deprived areas. For children, the trend was similar, with 62% of children in the most deprived areas at a healthy weight, compared to 76% of children living in the least deprived areas.

There was little difference in adults at a normal weight between urban areas (32%) and rural areas (31%)

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban/rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Percentage of adults with two or more health risk behaviours (current smoker, harmful drinking, low physical activity, obesity). Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of adults with two or more risk behaviours (current smoker, harmful or hazardous drinker, low physical activity, obesity) in 2019 was 28%, the same as in 2018. The percentage of adults with two or more risk behaviours has remained relatively stable since 2012, ranging from 28% to 32%.

Two or more health risk behaviours were more common amongst older age groups, with the 16-24 group having the lowest percentage (20%) and the 65-74 age group the highest (34%).

Health risk behaviours were slightly more common in men (29%) compared to women (27%).

There was a significant  difference in health risks behaviours by deprivation, with the percentage of adults with two or more health risk behaviours in the most deprived areas (40%) more than double that of the least deprived areas (19%)

Adults with a limiting long-term condition were more likely to engage in 2 or more health risk behaviours  than those without a limiting long-term condition (29% and 22% respectively).

Adults engaging in two or more health risk behaviours were more common in urban areas (29%) compared to rural areas (22%)

This indicator can be broken down by age, disability, gender and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

This indicator looks at the percentage of adults meeting physical activity recommendations.

Based on the current physical activity guidelines, the proportion of adults meeting the recommended level in 2019 was 66%, the same as in 2018. This increase does not represent a significant change at the 95% confidence interval and the arrow is therefore performance maintaining.

Revised guidelines on physical activity were introduced by the Chief Medical Officers of each of the four UK countries in July 2011. The previous recommended level of activity for adults was that they should do at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week (i.e. at least 5). The new guidelines are that adults should be moderately active for a minimum of 150 minutes a week.

The impact of this change was an increase of around 24 percentage points in the proportion of adults meeting the recommendation. It is not possible to calculate adherence to the new guideline back over the time series, but figures using the old guideline were produced for 2012 and show relatively little change over time (39% in 2011, 38% in 2012).

Adults in younger age groups were more likely to be meeting physical activity recommendations compared to older adults. The most active age group was the 25-34 age group, with 77% meeting recommended levels of physical activity. The least active group was the 75+ age group, with 35% meeting the recommended activity levels.

Men were more likely to meet the physical activity recommendations than women (71% compared to 61%).

74% of adults in the least deprived areas met physical activity recommendations, compared with 54% of adults in the most deprived areas.

55% of adults with a limiting long-term health condition met physical activity recommendations, compared with 73% of those without.

64% of adults living in urban areas met physical activity recommendations, compared to 73% in rural areas.

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, Disability and urban rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

The proportion of short journeys less than 2 miles that are made by walking and the proportion of journeys under 5 miles made by cycling. Find out more about this indicator.

Since 2012, the proportion of journeys under 2 miles made on foot is little changed, from 48.5% to 47.6%. Over that time the proportion of journeys under 5 miles made by bike is little changed from 1.5% in 2012 to 1.7% in 2019.

In 2019, 1.7% of journeys under 5 miles were made by bike (similar to 2018, with just a 0.1% decrease) and 47.6% of journeys under 2 miles were made on foot (a 4.6% increase from 2018).

Although the proportion of cycling journeys remained steady, the rise in the number of walking journeys means the National Indicator status is determined as Performance Improving.

Results show that as adults get older they tend to make a smaller proportion of journeys under two miles by walking.

Those in their 20s, 30s and 40s make the largest proportion of journeys under five miles by bike.

Men take a larger proportion of short journeys bike than women.

White Scottish people take the smallest proportion of short journeys on foot.

People with no religion take a slightly higher proportion of short journeys on foot.

People with a permanent sickness or disability take a greater proportion of their short journeys on foot than the general population.

Over the past few years people living in the most deprived areas in Scotland have generally made a larger proportion of their short journeys by walking compared with those living in the least deprived areas.

However, it is those living in the least deprived areas that make the largest proportion of short trips by bike.

This indicator can be broken down by gender age, Scottish index of Multiple Deprivation, ethnicity, religion and disability. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

This indicator measures the percentage of people who describe the overall care provided by their GP practice as Excellent or Good. Find out more about this indicator.

The percentage of people who describe the overall care provided by their GP practice as Excellent or Good in Scotland fell by 4 percentage points between 2017/18 and 2019/20, from 83% in 2017/18 to 79% in 2019/20.

Those 65 or over were more likely to describe their experience as excellent or good compared to younger age groups. T

here was a gap of 8 percentage points between the most deprived areas (74%) and least deprived areas (82%).

Fewer people with long-term health conditions reported overall care as excellent or good compared to those with no long-term health conditions.

European Age Standardised mortality rates per 100,000 for people under 75. Find out more about this indicator.

Since 1997, the rate of premature mortality decreased year-on-year until 2015 when there was an increase. The rate decreased again in 2017 and remained relatively stable in 2018, however, it remains at a higher level than in 2014, the lowest year on record. Despite the higher mortality rate after 2014, premature mortality rates are currently 17 per cent lower than in 2006.

However, this decrease has not been equal across socio-economic status, with premature mortality rates in the most deprived areas 3.3 times higher than in the least deprived areas in 2018. The deprivation mortality gap has widened since 2001 when premature mortality rates in the most deprived areas were 2.5 times higher than in the least deprived areas.

This indicator can be broken down by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.