Scottish Death Rate at 30 Year Low

10 June 2010

Scotland’s death rate for the first quarter of 2010 was at its lowest level for more than 30 years, provisional statistics show.

The Registrar General for Scotland today published provisional figures for births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships registered during the first quarter of 2010.

The figures show:

14,689 deaths were registered in Scotland in the first quarter of 2010 - 141 fewer than in the same period of 2009. This continues the downward trend of the death rate which is at its lowest level, for the first quarter, for at least thirty years.

14,670 births were registered in the first three months of the year – 165 (one per cent) more than in the first quarter of 2009, although 435 lower than the same period in 2008 which was the highest level for 13 years.
marriages were down by 62 from 3,194 to 3,132.

62 civil partnerships (25 male and 37 female) were registered in the quarter, 9 more than the first quarter of 2009.
Deaths from stroke and cancer fell by three per cent and one per cent respectively. Deaths from coronary heart disease rose by 0.7 per cent.

Registrar General for Scotland, Duncan Macniven, said:

“Today’s figures show a record low number of deaths, though death rates fluctuate through the year and quarterly data can’t be taken as indicative of the year ahead.”

The full publication "Births, Marriages and Deaths - First Quarter 2010", including figures for NHS boards and Local Authority (LA) areas, is available on this website.