Record Number of Centenarians in Scotland

The number of people living for more than a century has reached a record high.

New figures from the Registrar General estimate that there were 680 centenarians living in Scotland in 2006 – the overwhelming majority being female.

A hundred years ago, Scottish centenarians were extremely rare. However, by the start of the 21^st century, there were estimated to be more than 500 people in Scotland who were 100 years old or more – and the number has been rising steadily ever since.

In 2006, women accounted for 600 of Scotland’s centenarians while only around 80 men had reached the milestone. However more men are reaching their 100^th birthday. They accounted for fewer than 1 in 10 centenarians in 2002, but about 1 in 8 by 2006.

The full report can be found on the Centenarians in Scotland; 2002-2006, page on this website.

Duncan Macniven, Registrar General for Scotland, said:

“Since the 1950s, the number of centenarians has been growing more quickly than any other age group. This is the tip of the iceberg of our ageing population.

“The increase has been driven largely by increased survival rates of people who are over 80, thanks for example to improvements in medical treatment, housing and living standards in general.”

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