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High Level Summary of Statistics: Population and Migration

Deaths

Deaths in Scotland
Last updated: August 2009

55,700 deaths were registered in Scotland in 2008. This was 286 (0.5%) fewer than in 2007, and was the second lowest total recorded since the introduction of civil registration in 1855 (the figure for 2006 was the lowest).

In 2008, more than half of all deaths were due to the so-called "three big killers":

• cancer - 15,269 deaths, or 27% of all deaths;
• ischaemic (coronary) heart disease - 8,841 deaths, or 16%; and
• cerebrovascular disease (stroke) - 5,367 deaths, or 10%.

The types of cancer with the largest numbers of deaths included cancers of the trachea, bronchus and lung (4,080 deaths), bowel cancer (1,585 deaths), breast cancer (1,050 deaths), cancers of the lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue (1,002 deaths), cancers of the urinary tract (875 deaths), cancers of the oesophagus (831) and prostate cancer (792 deaths).

The percentage of deaths accounted for by the so-called "three big killers" was 65% in 1981 and 1991, falling through 61% in 1996 and 59% in 2001 to 53% in 2008. The proportion of deaths caused by ischaemic heart disease fell from 29% in 1981 to 16% in 2008, and cerebrovascular disease declined from 14% to 10%, whereas the proportion caused by cancer has risen from 22% to 27%.

Other common causes of deaths registered in 2008 included:

• respiratory system diseases (7,443 deaths, or 13% - e.g. pneumonia);
• mental and behavioural disorders (3,362 deaths, or 6% - e.g. due to alcohol or drugs);
• digestive system diseases (3,119 deaths, or 6% - e.g. chronic liver disease);
• diseases of the nervous system (1,613 deaths, or 3% - e.g. Alzheimer's disease);
• diseases of the genitourinary system (1,279 deaths, or 2% - e.g. renal failure);
• accidents (1,261 deaths, or 2% - e.g. falls, transport accidents);
• endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (991 deaths, or 2% - e.g. diabetes); and
• certain infectious and parasitic diseases (936 deaths, or 2% - e.g. septicaemia).

There were 253 deaths of infants (children aged under 1) in 2008.

Causes of Death in Scotland

Source: GROS Registration Data

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