GLASWEGIANS are still born to die younger than people anywhere else in Scotland.

Life expectancy in the city is once more the lowest in the country according to the latest figures.

Despite health and living improvements in the city, men are still expected to die four years earlier than in the rest of the country.

The gap between the city and the area with the highest life expectancy is even greater.

In East Dunbartonshire, on the city’s doorstep to the north, men can expect to live until they are 80 but in Glasgow it is just 73.

For women, life expectancy in Glasgow is 78, three years behind the rest of Scotland.

Again the gap between the city and East Dunbartonshire is wider with the more affluent neighbours living four years longer.

Geographically the two areas can be just streets apart, with Drumchapel crossing into Bearsden, but the difference in income, housing, health and life expectancy is worlds apart.

Researchers at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health have been tracking patterns of life expectancy and health inequalities in the city.

Bruce Whyte, Public Health Programme Manager, at the GCPH said: “A lot of the gap is to do with deprivation and health being better in more affluent areas.

“Glasgow is by some distance the most deprived part of the country and it hasn’t really shifted.”

He said that standards of living in the poorest areas has to improve before we see the gap narrowing.

Over time the gap between rich and poor has been stubborn.

In Glasgow in 2003 it was just 69 for men but 77 in East Dunbartonshire and for women there was still a four year gap between 76 in Glasgow and 80 in East Dunbartonshire.

Mr Whyte added: “Better work, better wages is needed and the Living Wage should make a difference, and a better social security safety net.

“Social security cuts and welfare reform has affected people in the poorer areas the most.”

He said the factors improve life expectancy but don’t narrow the gap.

He added: “Various people put it down to healthcare improvements and better living conditions, early diagnosis of cancer and better health screening all making a difference but it is across the whole population. We need to look at improving life chances in the poorer areas.”

Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland and Registrar General for Scotland Tim Ellis said: “This report shows that while life expectancy continues to improve, there is still wide variation across Scotland.

“The report also shows that the gap between life expectancy for men and for women is continuing to narrow.

The figures also show that Scotland has the lowest life expectancy in the UK at two years lower for men and 1.7 years lower for women.

In Europe life expectancy for men was highest in Cyprus at 81 and for women in Spain at 86 years.