2020

As at 5th April, 354 deaths have been registered in Scotland where COVID-19 was mentioned in the death certificate, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) today. The first mention of COVID-19 in a death registration was the week beginning 16th March 2020.

Between 30th March to 5th April, 282 deaths relating to COVID-19 have been registered. There were 62 in the previous week, 23rd to 29th March, and 10 in the week before, 16th to 22nd March.

To place these statistics in context, the total number of deaths registered in Scotland from 30th March to 5th April  was 1,741. The average number of deaths registered in the same week over the last five years was 1,098.

NRS statistics capture all deaths registered where the death certificate states that COVID-19 was relevant to the cause of death. This includes those where a positive test has taken place and also those where it is suspected that COVID -19 was a relevant factor - and covers all settings, including hospital and community deaths.

Over 60% of all deaths involving COVID -19 were people aged 75 or over.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde has recorded the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the year up to 5th April with 122 deaths registered. To date, no COVID-19 related deaths have been registered in Orkney and Western Isles.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said:

“We are living in unprecedented times and all of these deaths are tragic. These statistics, when placed alongside the other important evidence being made available by the Scottish Government and Health Protection Scotland (HPS), will be valuable to the understanding of the progress and impact of the COVID-19 virus across Scotland.

“We have produced these statistics based on deaths involving COVID-19, so this includes any deaths where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate, whether it is the underlying cause of death or a contributory cause and includes registered deaths resulting from suspected or probable COVID-19.

“Using this methodology means that our statistics will differ from the number of deaths released daily by HPS which report on deaths with an associated positive test for COVID-19, and it is expected that NRS statistics will show a higher number of deaths. This is because NRS figures report on deaths involving confirmed and also suspected or probable cases of COVID-19.”

The publication Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland and an infographic summary is available from this website.

According to statistics published today by the National Records of Scotland (NRS), over half of council areas (18 out of 32 councils) are expected to see population growth, with the remainder (14 councils) projected to face depopulation over the 10 years between mid-2018 and mid-2028.

More councils are projected to experience population decline than in previous projections (14 councils now compared to 8 councils in the previous 2016-based projections.

The figures published in the Population Projections for Scottish Areas, 2018-based are based on the latest mid-2018 population estimates and provide an indication of the future population size and age structure of Scottish areas based on past trends and a set of assumptions about future fertility, mortality and migration.

Alan Ferrier, Head of Demography Statistics, said:

“While Scotland’s overall population is projected to increase over the next decade, there is variation across Scotland, with some councils projected to decline in population.  In many areas of Scotland, the number of births are projected to continue to be lower than deaths, highlighting that migration remains the key driver of population increase.”

How is Scotland’s population projected to change over the next decade?

Scotland’s population growth is projected to be predominantly in the central belt and urban areas, with areas in the East surrounding the City of Edinburgh growing at the fastest rate.

Population decline is projected to mainly be in the West and South West of the country.

Migration continues to drive projected increases in population in most areas. By mid-2028, 30 council areas are projected to have more people arriving than leaving. Overall 18 councils are projected to increase in population, as natural decline (more deaths than births) exceeds net migration in some areas. 

In most areas, there is projected to be a natural decline, with deaths projected to be higher than births. Only 5 councils are projected to have natural population growth.

Scotland’s population is projected to age, with the population of people aged 75 years and older projected to increase in all areas.

The report breaks down further the Projected Population of Scotland, published at Scotland and UK level on 21 October 2019, which showed that Scotland’s population is projected to increase by 1.8% from 5.44 million in mid-2018 to 5.54 million in mid-2028.

An infographic summarising the key points of the NRS report and an interactive data visualisation comparing population projections between Scottish council areas is available on the NRS website.

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Following advice from the UK and Scottish Government to help delay the spread of Covid-19/Coronavirus we have taken the decision, in consultation with the National Museum of Scotland, to postpone the exhibition of the Declaration of Arbroath later this month.

We understand that many people have been looking forward to seeing this iconic document but our top priority at this time is public safety and the wellbeing of staff.

Further updates will be available on this page

In line with advice from the UK and Scottish Government and to delay the spread of Coronavirus we have taken the decision to close the Scotlands People and Historical and Legal search rooms in Edinburgh until further notice. ScotlandsPeople will continue to be available online.

The full list of baby names for 2019 was published today by National Records of Scotland (NRS), with Jack and Olivia retaining their titles as the most popular baby names in Scotland.

In 2019, 49,863 births were registered, with 5,031 having first forenames that were unique for their sex in that year. The lists show that the year’s most popular first forenames were:

• for boys, Jack (449 babies), Oliver (359) and James (345);
• for girls, Olivia (394 babies), Emily (388) and Isla (364).

These new lists replace the top 100 lists published in December, and include the first forename of every baby whose birth was registered in December.

NRS’s website identifies the top names in each decade.  For example, the top three first forenames for births that were registered from 2010 to 2019 were:

• boys – Jack (5,424 babies in ten years), James (4,140) and Lewis (3,921);
• girls – Sophie (5,002 babies in ten years), Emily (4,765) and Olivia (4,732).

The name James continues to be popular and is the only name to have been in the top ten for its sex in every year from 1974 (the first for which the NRS website provides this information). However, many once popular names have now gone out of fashion. For example, David, John and Paul, were the top three boys’ names in 1975, but they were not in their top tens in 2000 or 2015 and, in 2019, 101 boys had David as their first forename, 79 were named John and only 22 were named Paul.

Alan Ferrier, Head of Demographic Statistics at National Records of Scotland said:

“Jack and Olivia continue to be the most popular baby names in Scotland, however, this year, over 5,000 unique baby names were registered, which suggests that parents may be striving for originality and individuality when naming their children.

“Looking outside the top 100 names, it’s interesting to see the impact that popular culture is having on how parents name their children. More boys than ever are now called Ezra, which may be a result of the popularity of singer George Ezra.

“The Peaky Blinders trend has continued outside the top 100 names, the latest statistics show a continued rise in the number of babies named Cillian following the launch of the hit TV show and star actor Cillian Murphy, the names Polly and Chester have also increased in popularity in this time.”

Today, NRS also published a list of the most common surnames in the Birth, Marriage and Death registers for 2019.  Smith, Brown and Wilson have been the three most popular surnames since the first such list, which is for 1975, and remained the top three in 2019.

The Babies' First Names, 2019 (Full List) and Most Common Surnames in Birth, Marriage and Death registers are available on this website.

11,867 births and 15,565 deaths were registered in Scotland between 1 October and 31 December 2019, according to provisional figures released today by National Records of Scotland.

This is the lowest number of births registered in quarter four since civil registration began in 1855.

The number of deaths registered was the highest quarter four total since 1999.

Compared to the quarter four average for the previous five years, births have fallen by 9.7 per cent and deaths have risen by 6.9 per cent.

There is no single reason for the downward trend in the number of births, however, the beginning of the recent fall in births coincided with the financial crash just over a decade ago, so economic uncertainty may be influencing decisions around childbearing. The average age of mothers has increased in recent years suggesting that people are postponing  childbearing until later in life.

The age-standardised mortality rate has increased for the last two quarters.  It takes into account the growing and ageing population and is therefore the best indicator of the direction of the mortality trend.  

Compared with the four quarter average over the previous five years, 2014-2018:

• The number of cancer deaths rose by 4.4 per cent to 4,310;
• Deaths from respiratory diseases rose by 3.3 per cent to 1,812;
• The number of deaths from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease rose by 15.0 per cent to 1,798;
• The number of deaths from coronary heart disease fell by 3.6 per cent to 1,690;
• There were 1,055 deaths from cerebrovascular disease (an increase of 1.9 per cent).

Paul Lowe, the Registrar General for Scotland, said:
 
“The number of births registered in the fourth quarter was the lowest since records began and continues the downward trend we have seen since 2008.
 
“We have also seen the highest number of fourth quarter deaths in 20 years, and the age-standard mortality rate, which adjusts for Scotland’s ageing population, has increased by 1.6%, providing further evidence of a change in the mortality trend.”

The provisional figures also show there were 5,683 marriages in total. This is 7.7 per cent lower than the average number of fourth quarter marriages for the previous five years, and the lowest quarter four marriage figure since 2010.

There were 201 same-sex marriages, 25 fewer than in 2018 quarter four. Of the same sex marriages registered in the fourth quarter, 12 (6.0 per cent) were changes from civil partnerships. 

There were 22 civil partnerships (15 male and 7 female), two fewer than in the fourth quarter of 2018.

The publication Births, Deaths and other Vital Events 2019, Quarter 4 and an Infographic are available on this website.

Experimental Statistics published today by National Records of Scotland indicate that there were an estimated 195 deaths of people experiencing homelessness registered in Scotland in 2018, an increase of 19% on the estimate of 164 in 2017.

Key points

• Scotland had the highest rate of homeless deaths of all GB countries in 2018 with a rate of 35.9 per million population compared to 16.8 in England and 14.5 in Wales.
• In 2018 Glasgow City (100.5) and Aberdeen City (67.8) had the highest homeless death rates per million population.  Shetland islands had a homeless death rate of 111.8 per million population but this was based on a very small number of deaths so should be interpreted with caution.
• More than half of homeless deaths in 2018 were drug-related (53%, 104).
• Around three quarters of homeless deaths were males (74% of the total in 2017 and 79% in 2018).
• The mean age at death was 43 for females and 44 for males.

These statistics include people who were in temporary accommodation at the time of their death as well as those who were sleeping rough.

Paul Lowe, the Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland and Registrar General for Scotland, said:

“NRS has developed a method of estimating the incidence of homeless deaths  in response to user demand. It is important to stress that  these are experimental statistics and we will continue to work with users and stakeholders to assess their suitability and quality, as we continue to develop our methodology in future years” 

The publication Homeless Deaths 2017 and 2018 and an Infographic are available on this website.

Events accompany rare display of iconic Scottish document

National Records of Scotland (NRS) and National Museums Scotland have announced a programme of public events to mark the 700^th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath in 2020. 

The NRS programme examines the Declaration, the context of its creation and its significance today, featuring talks by academics, historians and an artist, including Head of Medieval and Early modern Records Alan Borthwick and the writer and historian Fiona Watson. 

National Museums Scotland will present a discussion with historians and archivists chaired by curator Dr Alice Blackwell of National Museums Scotland. A panel including Fiona Watson, Professor Dauvit Broun from the University of Glasgow and Alan Borthwick, Head of Medieval Records at NRS, will explore the origins, influence and legacy of the Declaration. 

There will also be a drop-in event with family craft activities at the museum, as well as a chance to meet NRS conservators to discover how medieval documents are repaired, treated and cared for. 

These events will accompany the first public display in fifteen years of the Declaration – one of Scotland’s most iconic historic documents – at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh from 27 March to 26 April.

NRS will also provide a learning resource for primary schoolchildren and a programme of educational workshops for schools, and their archivists will take part in an international conference on the Declaration at Newbattle Abbey College.

During the display at the National Museum of Scotland there will be bookable timed slots available for school visits.

Welcoming news of these events, Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans Graeme Dey said: 

"I welcome these events as part of an exciting anniversary year in which we will celebrate this amazing document with the people of Scotland, and with visitors from around the world.

The Declaration of Arbroath is a unique historical record and is of huge importance to Scotland as a whole, but particularly to the town of Arbroath itself.

"I’ve been pleased to discover how many people of Scots descent worldwide have a great understanding of the document's significance."

Paul Lowe, Chief Executive of NRS, said:

"National Records of Scotland have the great honour of being the custodians of the Declaration of Arbroath and preserving it for future generations. We are delighted to make this iconic document available once more for public view, working closely with our colleagues in the National Museum of Scotland.

"We look forward to hosting visitors to our range of exciting events throughout the year and to participating in the wider celebrations of this key treasure from our extensive collections."

Stephen Allen, Head of Learning and Programmes, National Museums Scotland said:

"We are delighted to be working in partnership with the National Records of Scotland to create an engaging programme of events to support the display of the declaration here at the National Museum of Scotland.

"The Declaration of Arbroath is an iconic piece of Scotland's history and we look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors next year to see it close up and enjoy the events."

From Wednesday 1 January 2020, National Records of Scotland has made Scottish Cabinet papers and other Scottish Government records from 2004 available to the public.

That year, First Minister Jack McConnell’s Labour-Liberal Democrat Cabinet considered a number of issues including problems with privatised prisoner escort firm Reliance, legislation which led to the ban on smoking in public places and the appointment of the first Scots Makar Edwin Morgan.

This was also the year in which the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood opened and Lord Fraser published his report into the delays and cost over-runs which affected the troubled building project.

These papers are opened to the public as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to proactively release archived records after 15 years.

Welcoming the latest releases Paul Lowe, Chief Executive of NRS and Keeper of the Records of Scotland, said:

“We’re proud to play our part in preserving the nation’s records and in making them available to the public. Government records help society better understand our recent history and provide valuable insights for future generations.

“This year’s release covers fascinating deliberations on a wide range of subjects including slopping out in prisons, planning for major terrorist incidents and NHS waiting times.”

Background:

These newly opened files will be available to view in our public search room after General Register House reopens on Friday 3 January following the new year holidays.

The Cabinet files will be available in digital format. Other paper files can be viewed in January without the need to pre-order. The full list of files released in 2020 can be viewed in PDF (535 KB PDF).

Please note that you will need a current reader’s ticket to view files in our search room.

Details on how to obtain a reader’s ticket and what preparations to make can be found on the Visit Us page of our website.