National Records of Scotland

Preserving the past, Recording the present, Informing the future

Population Estimates for Centenarians in Scotland: mid-2022 (including rebased mid-2011 to mid-2021)

We're launching our new website in early December
All content from the current site will be available in our web archive

Population Estimates for Centenarians in Scotland: mid-2022 (including rebased mid-2011 to mid-2021)

Last update: 9 July 2024

Latest population estimates for people aged 90 and over. Estimates for mid-2011 to mid-2021 have been revised following Scotland's Census 2022.National Statistics Icon
      

Main Points

  • In mid-2022 the estimated population of Scotland aged 90 years and over grew by 1.5% compared with 2021; this was its highest ever total (44,960 people).
  • The number of centenarians has almost doubled since mid-2002, with an estimated 1,000 centenarians living in Scotland in mid-2022.
  • In mid-2022 the majority of centenarians were female but in the last 20 years the number of male centenarians has grown at a faster rate than female centenarians. 
  • The sex ratio among centenarians in Scotland has almost halved since mid-2002, from 8.7 women to every man aged 100 years and over in 2002, to 4.6 women to every man in 2022.
  • Scotland had the lowest proportion of centenarians in Great Britain in mid-2022, with 18 centenarians per 100,000 people, compared with 27 people in Wales and 25 people in England.

The mid-2002 to mid-2022 estimates published in this release supersede previous estimates of the very old and account for rebasing of the mid-year estimates from 2012 onwards following Scotland’s Census 2022.

Contact Us

Please get in touch if you need any further information, or have any suggestions for improvement.

E-mail: [email protected]

Lead Statistician: Esther Roughsedge

For media enquiries, please contact [email protected]