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I have just stumbled across a new series of animating maps which tell a fascinating tale of how Britain is changing. Using data on life expectancy from 1992 to 2006, some clever people at the Office for National Statistics have illustrated how improving health has migrated northwards.

I have posted the start and finish maps here but I would urge you to look at the animation

The map for men is the clearer in showing the way longevity has crept up the country. The most recent data reveals how parts of Glasgow and the Outer Hebrides still suffer from life expectancy well below the rest of Western Europe, but overall the improvements are clear.

For women, it is broadly the same story with life expectancy moving northwards -although there are pockets in all regions where progress is slower.

Over the 14 years illustrated by the maps, life expectancy has consistently increased, rising from 73.4 years to 77.3 years for men and from 78.9 years to 81.5 years for women.

The largest increases over this period for both sexes have occurred in England and Wales. The smallest increase was in Scotland for males and in Northern Ireland for females.

In 2006 the local area with the highest life expectancy for both males (83.7 years) and females (87.8 years) was Kensington and Chelsea. In contrast, the local area with the lowest life expectancy in 2006 was Glasgow City (70.8 years for males and 77.1 years for females). Between 1992 and 2006 life expectancy within this area has increased by just 2.6 years for males and 2.1 years for females.

It is a startling fact that for every hour you live, your life expectancy increases by 16 minutes.

I was puzzled as to why the Outer Hebrides should have such poor life expectancy, apparently improving for both men and women at different times and then getting worse again. The region doesn't fit with the urban, industrial character of other places which suffer from premature death.

Looking at public health statistics for Scotland, one can see that smoking and excess drinking have a major impact on life expectancy. Is this the story in the Western Isles? Why not the same situation in the Orkney and Shetland Islands?

I would be grateful for any information or theories on that.

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