Scotland Sees Drop In Birth Rate Again As Reported By Registers of Scotland

31st July 2024

There were 45,935 live births registered in 2023, a slight decrease of 2% on the year before and the lowest annual total since records began in 1855.

Births have been falling over the long term and fell to their lowest point in 2002 before increasing to reach a recent high point of 60,041 in 2008, generally decreasing since then.

In 2023 there were 23,594 baby boys and 22,341 girls. The most common names were Luca and Isla respectively.

Just over half of all live births (53%) were to unmarried parents.
Multiple births accounted for 1.5% of all maternities with 664 maternities involving twins and 10 involving triplets or more. (Table 1.01b)

The age of mothers has changed over time. In the 1960s, mothers in their twenties were the most common age-groups. From the mid-1970s onwards births to mothers in their thirties began to increase and the 30-34 age-group is now the most common. The birth
rate among mothers under 20 has fallen over time and is now the age group with the lowest birth rate, although it rose a little in the latest year.

There were 45,935 live births registered in 2023, a slight decrease of 2% on 2022 and the lowest annual total since records began in 1855.

• Scotland's total fertility rate fell to 1.30, down from 1.33 last year. For a population to replace itself this rate needs to be around 2.1.

• There were 63,445 deaths registered in 2023, 1% more than in 2022. Deaths were broadly in line with expected levels (an excess of 0.2% above expected levels).

• In 2023 there were 17,510 more deaths than births. This measure is sometimes called "natural change". The last time Scotland had more births than deaths was in 2014.

• The age-standardised mortality rate was 1,166 per 100,000 people in 2023, an increase of 1% on 2022. Age-standardised mortality was higher for males (1,344 per 100,000) than for females (1,019 per 100,000).

• There were 26,753 marriages in Scotland in 2023, 11% fewer than in 2022. The number of marriages in Scotland initially increased after the COVID-19 pandemic restricted opportunities to have ceremonies but is now at a similar level to that seen in 2019 (26,007).

• There were 171 stillbirths in 2023, a rate of 3.7 for every thousand live and still births. The rate was unchanged from the previous year. The lowest ever still birth rate (3.5) was recorded in 2019.

• There were 184 infant deaths in 2023, a rate of 4.0 for every thousand live births. This was an increase on last year's rate of 3.5 and the highest rate seen since 4.1 in 2011.

• There were 369 adoptions registered in 2023, 1 fewer than in 2022.

• There were 719 civil partnerships registered in 2023, the highest number since 2006. The majority of civil partnerships in Scotland are mixed sex (82% in 2023), following a legislation change in 2021 which allowed this.

Read the full report HERE
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