SCOTS are being short-changed in their state pensions by £11,000 compared to the UK average - because they die sooner, according to research published by Nicola Sturgeon today.

For men in Glasgow that figure rises to almost £30,000, the Deputy First Minister will say.

For a woman in the city the "pension gap" is £22,000, compared to £29,000 for a man.

The research compared men and women with the same state pension entitlement.

Last year Ms Sturgeon suggested pensioners could get their pensions earlier in an independent Scotland because of lower life expectancy.

At the time she argued the state pension age should suit "Scottish circumstances".

The Coalition Government said earlier this year that the state pension age for some younger people could rise to as high as 70.

Pensions have emerged as a key battleground in the independence debate, and Scottish ministers are due this week to put the spotlight on pensioners' rights.

Yesterday Ms Sturgeon called on the main Westminster parties to say at what level they would set the new single tier pension, due to be introduced in 2016.

The Scottish Government has said that after independence it would ensure pensioners received £160 a week.

A spokesman for the anti-­independence Better Together campaign said: "Only in SNP world is the fact that Scots die younger somehow is good news.

"This is yet another example of an uncoated promise that just doesn't add up."