National projects contributed almost a third of the total with savings on drug purchasing (£32.6 million) and improved prescribing (£16.1m) figuring highly.
NHS24 made savings of 9%, with geographic areas Orkney (3.9%), the Western Isles (3.6%), Highland (3.5%) and Borders (3.3%) doing best.
The saving is the equivalent of 9,165 nurses, 2.6 million out-patient attendances or 1.3 million MRI scans.
Ms Sturgeon said: ‘The fact that last year the NHS saved £300 million is why we now have record numbers of doctors, nurses, midwives and dentists. It is why we are able to keep delivering real improvements for patients despite challenging economic circumstances.'
