Men born in Dundee will die an average of four years earlier than those born in neighbouring Perth and Kinross.
Life expectancy figures released by National Records of Scotland yesterday showed the average life expectancy for men and women born in Scotland is 76.8 years and 80.9 years respectively.
Although this has increased, there are still sharp divides caused by poverty and geography.
Men born in more deprived areas have a life expectancy of 69.6 years 12.5 years shorter than those from more affluent parts of the country.
In Perth and Kinross, the average life expectancy of men is 79.3 years and women 82.8. However, just over the border in Dundee, those figures drop to 75.1 and 79.7 respectively.
In Fife, those figures rise to 77.2 and 81.2 and in Angus 78.5 and 81.6.
Tim Ellis, chief executive of National Records of Scotland said: “Life expectancy is highest in East Dunbartonshire and lowest in Glasgow City Council for both men and women. “People living in rural areas, in general, live longer than those in more urban areas.”
Male life expectancy is 2.1 years lower than the UK average and female life expectancy is 1.8 years lower.
Among European Union (EU) countries, male life expectancy was highest in England (79.2 years), 2.4 years higher than in Scotland. Female life expectancy was highest in Spain (84.7 years), 3.8 years higher than in Scotland.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said: “We need to face up to the fact we’ve got an ageing population and that’s going to put an incredible burden on health services and pension funds in years to come.
“There are also grim statistics in relation to health inequalities, with more than a decade’s difference in some cases between how long someone can expect to live.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “At its root this is an issue of income inequality.
“We need a shift in emphasis from dealing with the consequences to tackling the underlying causes, such as ending poverty, fair wages, supporting families and improving our physical and social environments.
“We are continuing to take decisive action to address alcohol consumption, reduce smoking rates, encourage active living, healthy eating and promote positive mental health.”
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “Much work is taking place to tackle the inequalities in life expectancy and other health outcomes between different groups in our population.”