The death rate for young people in Dundee’s most deprived areas is more than two times higher than the national average, shock figures show.
The city’s poorest one-fifth of the population has among the worst death rates in the country for those aged 15 to 44.
There were 252.4 deaths in that age group per 100,000 of the population between 2012 and 2014 for Dundee’s most deprived quintile, according to new official health figures.
The national average for 15 to 44-year-olds is 100.5. The figures, released by the Scottish Public Health Observatory yesterday, shine a light on Scotland’s stark health inequalities.
Research by Dundee and Glasgow academics released last month showed that inequalities were being exacerbated by GP surgeries in the most deprived areas getting £10 less than the average practice for each patient.
The main causes of death in Dundee last year were cancer and circulatory diseases.
The desperate figures have emerged as it is revealed that life expectancy in Tayside and Fife continues to lag behind the OECD average of 80.1 years.
Only Perth and Kinross (80.96 years) exceeded that with Dundee (77.08), Fife (79.04) and Angus (79.82) further behind. The average life expectancy in Scotland is 78.77 years.
MSP Jim Hume, the Liberal Democrat’s health spokesman, said despite some improvement Scotland continues to fall behind many of its Western Europe neighbours for life expectancy.
“Ultimately the life expectancy of Scots should not come down to a postcode lottery based on where they are born or live,” he added.
Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, said life expectancy was rising, but there are still inequalities in healthy life expectancy between Scotland’s most and least deprived communities.
He said: “Measures announced in the Programme for Government, coupled with decisive and targeted action to address alcohol consumption, reduce smoking rates, encourage active living, healthy eating and promoting positive mental health, all play their part in tackling health inequalities and delivering a more just society.”