Pandemic sees death rate among rich and poor widen

Death rates in deprived areas are twice as high as affluent areas

The death rate of people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland was almost double that of those in the least deprived areas last year.

Figures from the National Records of Scotland's (NRS) annual population review showed the pandemic appeared to be increasing the gap.

Their report also said the poorest could expect fewer "good health" years.

It recorded that those in the poorest areas could expect 20 less years of good health than the more affluent.

• Covid death rates twice as high in deprived areas

• Life expectancy gap widens between richest and poorest

The report said the general mortality rate in the most deprived areas of Scotland was 1.9 times the rate in the least deprived areas. However, for deaths caused by Covid-19, the figure was 2.4 times the rate of those in more affluent areas.

That compares with a figure of 2.1 in the early stages of the pandemic.

The report stated that many of the risk factors associated with the virus were more common in poorer communities - such as diabetes, obesity and lung disease.

Meanwhile, the mortality rate for drug-related deaths in deprived areas was 18.4 times higher than in more affluent areas. For alcohol-specific deaths the figure was 4.3 times as high and for suicides it was three times higher.

Currently men in the poorest parts of Scotland have a "healthy life expectancy" - the number of years they can expect to live in good health - of just 47 years, compared with 72.1 years for men in the least deprived areas.

For women the gap is slightly smaller, though females in the richest areas can expect to enjoy more than 21 years of good health than their counterparts in more deprived areas, where the healthy life expectancy is just 50.1 years, compared with 71.6 years for the most affluent communities.

"Mortality rates are normally higher in more deprived areas," the report said, adding that "Covid-19 appears to be increasing this effect".

'Devastating impact'

Julie Ramsay, head of vital events at NRS, said: "Since the first registered Covid-19 death in March 2020, NRS has reported on over 10,500 such deaths.

"The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the lives of people across Scotland. But it is clear from our statistics that this impact has varied over time and across the country.

"We know that there have been two clear waves so far. Also, death rates in our most deprived communities were 2.4 times as high as those in our least deprived communities. This is a higher gap than the general mortality rate."