Population Growth and Healthy Life Expectancy
Last updated: April 2017
The EU15 is comprised of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Over the period 1998 to 2006 the population of the EU15 grew at a higher rate than the population of Scotland. Scotland's population growth has increased and the population is at its highest ever level, between 2015 and 2016, Scotland's population grew by 0.59%, whilst the population of the EU15 grew by 0.52%. The Scottish Government has set a target to match average European (EU15) population growth over the period from 2007 to 2017, supported by increased healthy life expectancy in Scotland over this period.
Annual Population Growth, EU15 and Scotland, 1999-00 to 2015-16
Source: Eurostat, and National Records of Scotland (NRS)
Note: EU15 population is at 1 January each year.
Levels of healthy life expectancy (HLE) for women and men have been gradually increasing since 1980. A new methodology was introduced in 2009. A partial back series calculated using the new methodology shows that levels of HLE based on the new methodology have been increasing at a similar rate to those based on the old methodology. In 2014, healthy life expectancy for men was 60.3 years, whilst for women the figure was 62.6 years. There was very little change in average levels of healthy life expectancy between 2013 and 2014, increasing from 61.3 to 61.5 years. Although female HLE increased from 61.9 to 62.6 years, male HLE declined from 60.8 to 60.3 years.
Life Expectancy and Healthy Life Expectancy at Birth, 1980 to 2014
Source: Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland
Notes
More information on the change in the methodology can be found in the source publication, Healthy Life Expectancy, available on the ISD website.
Figures from 1995 to 2008 are based on the Scottish Health Survey. Data from 2009 onwards are from the Scottish Household Survey.
Links
Mid-Year Population Estimates (National Records of Scotland website)
Europe in Figures (Eurostat website)
Healthy life expectancy in Scotland (Scottish Public Health Observatory website)