LIFE EXPECTANCY in Tayside and Fife has risen to almost 78 years, according to figures from the registrar general for Scotland.

But a breakdown of the Tayside statistics shows that people living in Dundee can expect to die earlier than their counterparts in Angus and Perth and Kinross.

Average life expectancy at birth in Dundee during 2004 to 2006 was 76.5 years, up from 74.6 years for 1994 to 1996. That put the city 24th out of 32 local authorities, a rise of three places over the decade.

During that period, residents of Perth and Kinross saw their expected average life spans rise by 3.5 years to 78.9 years, the fifth highest in Scotland.

The figure for Angus was up 2.6 years to 78.0 years, although its position on the national league table declined from 10th to 14th spot, while life expectancy in Fife went from 76.0 years to 77.9 years over the decade, also dropping it from 11th to 15th place.

Registrar general Duncan Macniven said, “Our calculations show that people throughout Scotland are likely to live longer now than they did 10 years ago. But that improvement is not spread equally.

“Life expectancy for men in Shetland has risen by almost five years, but by only two months in Clackmannanshire. For women, life expectancy in East Dunbartonshire has increased by almost three years, but in East Ayrshire by only eight months,” he said.

There are big differences between areas, probably due to factors including poverty and deprivation and varying levels of health problems. People born in Glasgow have the lowest life expectancy and those in Shetland the highest.

The broad picture is positive, with men in Scotland seeing life expectancy rise from 72.1 years to 74.6 years over the decade, with the figure for women rising from 77.8 years to 79.6 years.

However, Scots can still expect to die earlier than people in most other European Union countries. Their life expectancy is four years shorter than Swedes, who live the longest.