Life expectancy in Shetland is comfortably above the Scottish average, according to latest statistics published by the National Records of Scotland.
Figures for the years 2011- 2013 show life expectancy at birth for men being 77.85 years and for women, 82.48 years.
The Scottish life expectancy is 76.8 years for men and 80.9 years for women.
The outlook is particularly good for women in the NHS Shetland area, who are already 65 – they can expect to live another 20.8 years. However this is topped by women in the East Dunbartonshire council area, who can look forward to another 21.5 years, if they have reached the age of 65.
East Dunbartonshire council area also tops the charts for having the highest life expectancy anywhere in Scotland, with men at 80.5 years and women at 83.9 years.
This is in stark contrast to the Glasgow City council area, where men and women can expect to live 73.0 years and 78.5 years respectively, the lowest in Scotland.
Taken by NHS boards, the highest male life expectancy is in the Borders (79.3 years) while the highest female life expectancy is in Orkney (82.5 years).
Meanwhile life expectancy at birth for both men and women is highest in remote and rural areas, which includes all of Shetland. Men can expect to live to an average 79.2 years and women 82.6 years. This is 3.6 and 2.3 years longer respectively than in large urban areas, where life expectancy for both sexes is the lowest.
Life expectancy increases as deprivation decreases – at birth for men in the 10 per cent least deprived areas it is 82.4 years, which is 12.5 years more than in the most deprived areas, where it is 69.9 years.
Women in the same least deprived areas can expect to live for 84.8 years, whereas in the most deprived areas it is only 76.3 years.
However, life expectancy for both sexes is rising across Scotland.