National Care Service - health and demographic profile: evidence

5. Conclusion

This paper has outlined aspects of Scotland's current and projected national health profile and demographics which are of relevance to the development of a National Care Service. It has highlighted that Scotland's population has the lowest life expectancy and widest socio-economic inequalities in health in Western Europe, as well as socio-economic inequalities in healthy life expectancy. Geographic inequalities exist too – including between urban and rural areas – but to a lesser degree, and largely shaped by these socio-economic inequalities.

While forecasting demand for social care is extremely challenging, a number of projections made by NRS are of relevance here. The country's population is expected to age considerably across the coming decades, with a substantial increase in the proportion of those over the age of 65. The trend towards an increasing number of single-adult households is also set to continue.

How to access background or source data

The data collected for this publication:

☒ is available from The National Records of Scotland.