2021

As at 9 May, 10,104 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. 

In the week 3 May - 9 May, seven deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 12 deaths from the previous week.

At council level, North Lanarkshire recorded two COVID-related deaths, and Angus, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, Midlothian, and South Lanarkshire all recorded one death.

86% of deaths were people aged 75 and over, representing six deaths, and 14%, representing one death, were under 65.

Five deaths occurred in hospitals, one death occurred in a care home, and one in a non-institutional setting such as at home.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“Every death from this virus represents loss and grief for families across Scotland.

“There were seven registered COVID-related deaths last week which is the lowest number since September 2020. Across Scotland there were no registered COVID-related deaths in 26 of the 32 Local Authority areas.

“The total deaths from all causes were 12% below the average level for this time of year, although last week included a public holiday and some death registration may have been delayed.”

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

As at 2 May, 10,097 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. 

In the week 26 April – 2 May, 19 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of four deaths from the previous week.

At council level, the largest numbers of deaths were in Glasgow City and North Lanarkshire, which both recorded three deaths, with two in each of Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire. Of 32 council areas in Scotland, 20 recorded no deaths involving COVID-19.

79% of deaths were people aged 75 and over, representing 15 deaths, and 2 deaths were people aged under 65.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“We continue to see a progressive decline in the number of deaths involving COVID-19 since January and while that trend is very welcome, I am mindful that each represents a painful loss for a family in Scotland.  

“There were 1,035 deaths in total from all causes this week, 5% lower than the five year average.”

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

As at 25 April, 10,078 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. 

In the week 19-25 April, 23 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of one death from the previous week.

There were 7 deaths in Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board area, 4 in Lanarkshire and 3 in both Lothian and Tayside.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said:

“The latest figures show another slight reduction in deaths where COVID-19 has been the underlying cause or a contributory factor, but every single death remains a tragedy. We know families, friends, and communities across the country are still being affected by the loss of loved ones due to this virus.

“Of these deaths, a majority of 18 occurred in hospitals with 3 deaths in care homes, and 2 deaths occurring at home or in non-institutional settings.

“The 1,103 deaths from all causes registered last week remains slightly above the five year average, an increase of three per cent compared to 2015-2019.”

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

As at 18th April, 10,055 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. 

In the week 12-18 April, 24 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 10 deaths from the previous week.

The number of weekly deaths due to COVID-19 are now at their lowest level since early October.

There were 7 deaths in Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board area, 5 in Lanarkshire and 4 in Ayrshire and Arran.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said:

“This week shows another welcome reduction in the number of weekly deaths, but with over 10,000 people in Scotland dying with this virus, these figures represent heartbreak and loss for families across the country.

 “Deaths from all causes are broadly in line with the five year average.  24 excess deaths were registered this week, which was 2% above the average for this time of year.”

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

As at 11th April, 10,031 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. 

In the week 5-11 April, 34 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 4 deaths from the previous week.

While registered deaths continue to fall, care should be taken when interpreting the number of deaths in the last two weeks. Due to the recent public holidays and the closure of registration offices for Easter, there may have been a delay in registering some deaths.

Monthly analysis shows that March 2021 was the first month since October 2020 where COVID-19 wasn’t the top cause of death, it was 5th most common cause of death.

The age standardised death rate for deaths involving COVID-19 fell significantly in March 2021 compared to February 2021, from 259 to 69 deaths per 100,000 population.

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

Search rooms at National Records of Scotland (NRS) will reopen on a limited basis from 26th April, in line with Scottish Government guidance.

The Historical Search Room will reopen on Monday 26th April, with priority given to users requiring access to our archives to complete academic research.

The ScotlandsPeople Centre will reopen on Tuesday 4th May, with priority given to users who have a business need to access modern day statutory records.

Spaces to both search rooms will be limited and available by appointment only.

Appointments will be available for 4 hour slots from 10am with staggered arrivals and departures.

Paul Lowe, Chief Executive and Keeper of the Records of Scotland said:

“We are delighted to welcome customers back to our search rooms, and we hope that this news will be particularly welcomed by those eager to progress research that has been affected by the pandemic.

“Our commitment is to the safety and wellbeing of customers and staff. To ensure the search rooms have the necessary entry and exit routes and the required ventilation, we have moved the Historical Search Room to the Reid room in General Register House.

“We have also developed a safe visit agreement which includes a range of measures to ensure the safety of our customers and staff.

“In the coming months, in line with Scottish Government guidance, we look forward to further expanding our onsite provision of services.

“For those who are unable to access on-site services at this time, our online research services continue to be available including the ScotlandsPeople service, which assists with researching family, local and social history. During the pandemic we have continued to expand the range of online material available, including our newly released kirk session records which alone contain thousands of volumes detailing key events in local communities across the country from 1559 to 1900.”

As at 4 April, 9,997 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. 

In the week 29 March – 4 April, 38 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 24 deaths from the previous week.

There were fewer registrations than usual this week due to the public holiday on Friday 2 April, when most registration offices were closed. Death registrations are likely to have been lower than the actual number of deaths that occurred in this week.

The majority of deaths occurred in hospitals, representing 29 deaths, with five deaths at home or in non-institutional settings and four deaths in care homes.

47% of deaths were people aged 75 and over, representing 18 deaths, and eight deaths were people aged under 65.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: 

“We are seeing an encouraging reduction in the number of deaths involving COVID-19 but I am very conscious that these figures represent painful losses for families across Scotland.

“While registered deaths continue to fall, care should be taken when interpreting this week’s figures. These have been affected by the recent public holiday as there may have been a delay in registering some deaths.”

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

As at 28th March, 9,958 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. 

In the week 22-28 March, 61 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of five deaths from the previous week.

The majority of deaths occurred in hospitals, representing 43 deaths, with 13 deaths at home or in non-institutional settings and five deaths in care homes.

Around half of deaths were people aged 75 and over, representing 32 deaths, and 13 deaths of those aged under 65.

Deaths from all causes are below average for this time of year for the third week in succession. There were 33 fewer deaths when compared with the five year average.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said:

“It is welcome to report that this is the ninth week in succession where we have seen a fall in the number of COVID-related deaths and it’s the third where there were fewer deaths from all causes, in comparison with the five-year average”.

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

Over 4.2 million people are registered to vote in Scottish elections as of 1st December 2020, representing an increase of 41,600 registered voters over the last year, according to statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS).

When comparing statistics for December 2020 with December 2019, the report shows:

• 675,100 electors were registered for postal voting, representing a decrease of 15,700
• 73,300 electors were aged 16 – 17 representing a decrease of 500 voters
• 157,400 electors were from EU and other qualifying foreign nationals resident in Scotland representing an increase of 15,000 voters.

The total Scottish electorate registered to vote in UK Parliamentary elections was over 4 million, representing an increase of 23,900 when compared to the previous year.

As at December 2020, there were almost 200,000 more people registered to vote for the Scottish elections than the UK Parliamentary elections.

Sandy Taylor, Head of Electoral Statistics said:

“These latest statistics show a continuation of the overall upward trend that we have seen over the last ten years.”

“This trend is broadly consistent with the increase in the size of the population eligible to vote, which rose by around 5% over this period.”

The publication Electoral Statistics - Scotland 1st December 2020 is available on the NRS website.

As at 21st March, 9,897 deaths were 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.

In the week 15-21 March, 65 deaths were registered that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, a decrease of 39 deaths from the previous week.

The majority of deaths occurred in hospitals, representing 52 deaths, with six deaths in care homes and seven at home or in non-institutional settings.

Deaths from all causes are below average for this time of year for the second week in succession. There were 67 fewer deaths when compared with the five year average.

New analysis of the period between March 2020 and January 2021 also shows that disabled people in Scotland  were more likely to have died with COVID-19 than non-disabled people.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said:

“Figures this week show that the health impact of COVID 19 on people across Scotland continues to diminish but my thoughts are with those families who have lost loved ones to the virus.  

“This is the eighth successive week in which we have seen a fall in the number of deaths and the second in which we have seen fewer deaths from all causes, in comparison with the five-year average.

“NRS is publishing important information today on how the pandemic has affected people across Scotland. Our analysis confirms that disabled people are more likely to have died with COVID-19 than non-disabled people.”

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