English 'live longer' than Scottish.

English people on average live longer than their Scottish counterparts, according to new data.

The life expectancy for a man in England is 78.6 while for a man in Scotland it is 75.9, figures published by the National Audit Office show.

There is a similar trend for females, with English girls born between 2008 and 2010 having a life expectancy of 82.6 years, compared to 80.4 years for Scottish girls.

Britons with an eye on their future finances might be viewing the statistics with interest, as the topic of pension planning emerges as an increasingly significant issue, especially given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the economy and the recession.

The research was published as part of efforts to show variations in healthcare across the UK, with the study also revealing that general practitioners in the UK were paid an average taxable income of £109,400 in 2009 - almost £20,000 more than Scottish GPs, who were paid £89,500.

Copyright Press Association 2012