Continued Increase in Scottish Births

13 December 2007

The number of births registered in Scotland during the third quarter of 2007 was 5.3 per cent higher than during the same period of 2006. That continues the recent gradual increase in the birth rate. Indeed, the number was the highest in the third quarter for 10 years.

Registrar General for Scotland Duncan Macniven said:

“Almost 15,000 births were registered in July, August and September, continuing the recent gradual increase in the birth rate. Though we should not make too much of a single quarter, there were around 750 more births in the third quarter of this year than last year – and, over the first 9 months of 2007, there were more births than we have seen since 1997.”

The Registrar General was speaking as he published the Quarterly Return, 3rd Quarter 2007, which provides provisional figures for births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships registered during the third quarter of 2007.

Other comparisons with the third quarter of 2006 showed that:

Marriages were up by 435 from 12,174 to 12,609.
245 civil partnerships (119 male and 126 female) were registered in the quarter. Predictably, this is fewer than in the third quarter of 2006 (284 partnerships), which was less than a year after the Civil Partnership Act came into effect.
There were about 60 fewer deaths. Deaths from cancer rose by 5.1 per cent but deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke fell by 4.0 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively.

A full copy of the Quarterly Return, 3rd Quarter 2007, including local breakdowns can be downloaded from this website.

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