GLASGOW, April 16 (RIA Novosti) – New official figures released Wednesday show that Glasgow, Scotland’s most populous city, continues to have lower life expectancy rates than some of the worst conflict zones in the world.
Glasgow is due to host the Commonwealth Games at the end of July and will welcome some of the world’s top sportsmen and women, placing an international spotlight on the health of the residents of the city.
But figures produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) highlight that 25 percent of boys and 15 percent of girls will not reach their 65th birthday, the worst life expectancy in the whole of Britain and Europe.
By comparison, World Health Organization figures reveal that the average life expectancy in Afghanistan is 67. In Iraq, people can expect to live to at least 69 and in the Gaza Strip the average age is 70 years of age, despite decades of ongoing war and hardship in those regions.
Further international comparison shows that Glasgow lags well behind life expectancy rates in the rest of the developed world and is on a par with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Ghana and Senegal.
Scotland as a whole continues to have amongst the poorest life expectancy rates in the whole of Europe, despite recording its highest-ever combined figure this year of 79 years for men and women.
Sweden and Spain continue to have the highest life expectancy rates in Europe, with men and women expected to reach 82 years old.
The main factors underlying the figures for Glasgow are believed to be poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as alcohol consumption and smoking.
“We have known for many years that there is a significant difference in life expectancy between the richest and poorest parts of Scotland. These new figures reinforce how much work is needed to tackle these outcomes,” Jackie Ballie, a member of the Scottish Parliament told RIA Novosti.
The report by the ONS shows that life expectancies for babies born in Glasgow is eight to ten years behind the most affluent parts of the UK.
"Glasgow City was consistently ranked as the area with the lowest male and female life expectancy between 2006-08 and 2010-12,” the report concluded.
