Continued Increase in Scottish Births

12 June 2008

The number of births registered in Scotland during the first quarter of 2008 was 6.3 per cent higher than during the same period in 2007. There were 33 more births than deaths.

Registrar General for Scotland Duncan Macniven said:

"More than 15,000 births were registered in January, February and March, continuing the recent increase in the birth rate. Though we should not make too much of a single quarter, there were around 900 more births in the first quarter of this year than in 2007. Indeed, the number was the highest in the first quarter for 13 years.

"The first quarter of 2008 saw more marriages and fewer deaths than in the same period last year, but in 2007 the number of marriages had been the lowest in the first quarter for more than thirty years and the number of deaths was the highest in the first quarter since 2000."

The Registrar General was speaking as he published provisional figures for births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships registered during the first quarter of 2008.

Other comparisons with the first quarter of 2007 showed that:

Marriages were up by 108 from 3333 to 3441 - but fewer than in 2006 when there were 3495
98 civil partnerships (54 male and 44 female) were registered in the quarter, 14 fewer than the 112 partnerships registered in the first quarter of 2007
There were about 750 fewer deaths. Deaths from cancer and stroke fell by 0.2 per cent and 5.0 per cent respectively. Deaths from coronary heart disease fell by 13.5 per cent but quarterly figures are more volatile than annual totals which have tended to fall by between 2 per cent and 8 per cent in recent years.

A full copy of the Quarterly Return - 1st Quarter 2008, including local breakdowns can be downloaded from this website.

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