2020

As at 20 December 2020, 6,298 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today.

Between 14 and 20 December, 203 deaths were registered which mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 23 deaths from the previous week.

81% of the 203 deaths registered in the latest week were of people aged 75 and over, and 7% were aged under 65.

In the latest week, there were 31 COVID-related deaths in the Glasgow City council area, and 25 in South Lanarkshire.

To place these statistics in context, the number of deaths from all causes registered in the week 14 to 20 December was 1,282. There were 10 more deaths registered in week 51 of 2020 compared to the five year average, which is 1% higher than the average.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“Every death from this virus is a tragedy, and these statistics represent the heartbreak of many families and communities across the country.

“Today’s statistics show a slight reduction again in the number of COVID-19 related deaths when compared to last week’s figures.

“The majority of deaths occurred in hospitals, representing 124 deaths. 71 deaths occurred in care homes, and 8 occurred at home or in a non-institutional setting.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.

The Keeper’s Annual Report for 2020, published under the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011, has been laid in the Scottish Parliament.  It reflects the seventh year of activity since the Act was implemented in January 2013.

The 2020 report is available to download. The main aim of the Act is to improve the quality of record keeping in approximately 250 named Scottish public authorities. It requires authorities to submit records management plans to the Keeper for agreement.

We are pleased to report that participation in the voluntary Progress Update Review mechanism continued to increase this year. Just over one third of all authorities scheduled under the act submitted an update for review. 

In total, we have now agreed 237 Records Management Plans and sent 265 invitations to authorities since the Act came into force in January 2013.

Following collaboration with public sector stakeholders and professional records and information colleagues, and a formal public consultation, we launched a revised Keeper’s Model Records Management Plan at the Public Records Scotland Act conference in Glasgow.

The Act continues to support improvements in record keeping within the Scottish public sector. Our engagement with authorities helps to further promote the benefits of good records management and remains central to the Act’s success. Plans agreed show that good practice is being adopted and the Act continues to promote a new culture around record keeping
 

As at 13th December, a total of 6,092 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today.

Between 7th to 13th December, 224 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 8 from the previous week

To place these statistics in context, the total number of all-cause deaths registered in the week 7th to 13th December was 1,276, representing 40 more deaths than the average over the previous five years, which is a 3% increase.

Today, we also published updated analysis, covering the period from March-November, on mortality by pre-existing conditions, urban and rural areas, place of death and deprivation. The key findings show:

After adjusting for age, people living in the most deprived areas were 2.3 times as likely to die with COVID-19 as those in the least deprived areas.  This gap has increased in recent months.

Of the 5,822 deaths involving COVID-19 between March and November 2020, 93% had at least one pre-existing condition.  The most common main pre-existing condition was dementia and Alzheimer’s, accounting for 28% of all deaths involving COVID-19.

After adjusting for age, there were 147 deaths involving COVID-19 per 100,000 population. Rates for males were significantly higher representing 181 compared with 122 for females.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“Today’s figures show there have been over 6,000 deaths where COVID-19 has been the underlying cause or a contributory factor. This is devastating for families, friends and communities who have been affected by the loss of loved ones.

“The latest statistics show another slight fall in the number of COVID-19 related deaths. This is consistent with recent trends which have shown the number of deaths have decreased slowly for three out of the last four weeks, since the recent peak we saw a month ago.

“Today’s additional analysis also shows that the deprivation gap is widening, the death rate in the most deprived areas is now 2.3 times that of the least deprived areas. Earlier in the pandemic this gap was 2.1 times.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.

The number of drug-related deaths in Scotland increased by 6%, from 1,187 in 2018 to 1,264 in 2019, representing the highest number since records began in 1996, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland.

Other key findings show that of all drug-related deaths in 2019:

• Nearly 7 in 10 were male.
• Over two thirds were aged 35 – 54.
• Three-quarters occurred in the following five health board areas: 404 in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 163 in Lanarkshire, 155 in Lothian, 118 in Tayside and 108 in Ayrshire & Arran.
• Heroin and morphine were implicated in more deaths than in any previous year, and over half of the total.

Scotland’s drug-death rate was higher than those reported for all the EU countries, and was approximately 3½ times that of the UK as a whole.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services said:

“2019 saw the highest number of registered drug related deaths in Scotland since reporting began over 20 years ago. The figure of 1,264 deaths is an increase of 77 on 2018.”

Statistics on deaths caused by volatile substances and helium have also been published today.

The publication Drug-related deaths in Scotland, 2019 and an infographic summary is available on the NRS website.

As at 6th December, 5,868 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today.

Between 30th November and 6th December, 232 deaths were registered which mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 20 deaths from the previous week.

Almost three-quarters of the people who died in the latest week were aged 75 and over, and 9% were aged under 65.

In the latest week, there were 38 deaths involving COVID-19  in the Glasgow City council area, 31 in South Lanarkshire, and 22 in both North Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire.

The majority of deaths occurred in hospitals, representing 145 deaths, with 78 deaths in care homes and 9 at home or in a non-institutional setting.

To place these statistics in context, the number of deaths from all causes registered in the week ending 6th December was 1,283, 13% higher than the average over the previous five years.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said

“Every death from this virus is a tragedy, and represents heartbreak for many families across the country.

“Today’s statistics show a slight decrease in the number of COVID-19 related deaths, although numbers have remained broadly similar for the last three weeks.“

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.

13,295 deaths were recorded between July and September 2020, representing an increase of 1.2% from the five year average, according to statistics released by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today.

Other findings show that when compared to the five year average, the number of cancer deaths was unchanged at 4,007.  

The number of deaths from coronary heart disease rose by 1.8% to 1,519 and deaths from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease fell by 4.7%  to 1,246.

1,060 deaths were as a result of respiratory diseases, representing a 21% decrease.

There were  880 deaths from cerebrovascular disease (including stroke),  0.2% higher than the five year average.

Julie Ramsay, Vital Events statistician, said:

"These statistics show that deaths returned to broadly average levels over the summer period after the very high levels seen in the spring.

“Deaths as a result of COVID-19 account for 60 of the registered deaths during this period. This is in contrast to the period between April and June, where 3,739 deaths were registered where COVID-19 was the underlying cause.

“There was a small increase in deaths from coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease compared to the average for this time of year while deaths from respiratory diseases and dementia and Alzheimer’s disease decreased.”

Today’s statistics also show that 21,309 births were registered between July and September. However, this figure does not reflect the actual number of births which occurred in this period. Birth registrations were postponed in March and restarted in late June, so many of the postponed registrations took place in quarter 3.

3,789 marriages took place between July and September. This is significantly fewer than the average of 10,647 third quarter marriages for the previous five years.

116 same-sex marriages took place between July and September, compared with an average of 384 for the previous five years. 

22 civil partnerships were registered between July and September, compared to an average of 21 in the same period for the previous five years.

The publication Births, Deaths and other Vital Events - Quarterly Figures and an infographic summary is available on this website.

As at 29th November, 5,634 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today.

Between 23rd and 29th November, 252 deaths were registered which mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, an increase of 6 deaths from the previous week.

Over two-thirds of the people who died in the latest week were aged 75 and over, and 14% were aged under 65.

In the latest week, there were 51 COVID-related deaths in the Glasgow City council area, 30 in South Lanarkshire, and 24 in North Lanarkshire.

The majority of deaths occurred in hospitals, representing 165 deaths. 75 deaths occurred in care homes and 12 occurred at home or in a non-institutional setting.

To place these statistics in context, the number of deaths from all causes registered in the week ending 29th November was 1,316, 16% higher than the average over the previous five years.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“Every death from this virus is a tragedy, and these statistics represent the heartbreak of many families and communities across the country.

“Today’s statistics show a slight increase in the number of COVID-19 related deaths when compared to last week’s figures.

“Excess deaths from all causes began to increase in October, but this is almost entirely due to the corresponding rise in COVID-19 deaths. Deaths from causes such as respiratory diseases and cancer are below average levels for this time of year.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.

Of the 58,108 deaths in 2019, 27% of them were considered avoidable according to statistics published today by National Records of Scotland. 

Other key findings show that in 2019:

• Cancer and circulatory diseases were the most common causes of avoidable deaths, accounting for 34% and 25% of all 15,519 avoidable deaths respectively.
• The highest rates of avoidable deaths were in Glasgow City, Dundee City and Inverclyde.
• The lowest rates were in East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire and Shetland.
• After adjusting for age, avoidable mortality rates in the most deprived areas were 4.5 times those in the least deprived areas.

Avoidable mortality is a measure of deaths from causes for which all or most deaths are considered avoidable through timely and effective healthcare and public health interventions.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services said:

“The avoidable mortality rate has decreased by a third since 2001 however there has been very little change over the last 5 years. It is also true that whilst avoidable mortality rates have improved across Scotland since 2001, the scale of improvement has been smaller in our more deprived communities.”

The publication Avoidable Mortality 2019 and an infographic summary is available on the NRS website.

As at 22nd November, 5,380 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today.

Between 16th and 22nd November, 244 deaths were registered which mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, representing a decrease of 35 deaths from the previous week.

Over two-thirds of the people who died in the latest week were aged 75 and over, and 14% were aged under 65. 49% of deaths were female and 51% were male.

In the latest week, there were 81 deaths in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 48 in Lanarkshire, and 38 in Ayrshire and Arran.

The majority of deaths occurred in hospitals, representing 160 deaths. 67 deaths occurred in care homes and 17 occurred at home or in a non-institutional setting.

To place these statistics in context, the provisional number of deaths from all causes  registered in the week ending 22nd November was 1,357, 20% higher than the average over the previous five years.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“The statistics that we publish every week represent grief and heartbreak for families and communities across Scotland who have lost loved ones due to this virus.

“For the first time in eight weeks, the weekly figures show a decrease in the numbers of COVID-19 related deaths.
  
“Over the last week deaths decreased in Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Lanarkshire, but increased in Ayrshire and Arran.  They remained at the same level in Lothian.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland is available on the NRS website.

The number of alcohol-specific deaths has decreased by 10%, from 1,136 in 2018 to 1,020 in 2019, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland.  

These figures show the first substantial decrease in the number of alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland since 2012.

Other key findings show, in 2019:

• There were 833 probable suicides, an increase of 6% on the previous year. Following a downward trend since the early 2000s, these figures show two successive annual increases in suicide deaths in Scotland.
• There were 2,726 accidental deaths, representing an increase of 8.5%. The majority of these deaths were as a result of accidental poisonings or falls.
• After adjusting for age, the death rate for people in the most deprived areas was 1.9 times that of those in the least deprived areas. This gap has gradually increased over time from a ratio of 1.6 in 2000.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services says:

“Today’s figures show a notable fall in the number of deaths due to alcohol. 

“Since our records began in 1979, there have only been three other occasions where we have seen a reduction in the number of alcohol-specific deaths of around 10% or more in a single year.

“However, although an annual decrease of this magnitude is notable, further data will be required to see if this reduction continues and whether we will see a sustained shift in alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland.”

The publication Deaths from specific causes 2019 and an infographic summary is available on the NRS website.