This is not the latest version of this publication. You can view the latest publication on the topic page.
Main points
- In mid-2023, the estimated population of Scotland aged 90 years and over grew by 1.3% compared with 2022, reaching its highest ever total (45,550 people).
- In mid-2023, two out of every three people aged 90 years and over were female, but the gap between females and males continues to narrow. In the last 20 years, the number of men aged 90 years and over increased by 133%, while the number of women increased by 29%.
- There were an estimated 1,000 centenarians (people aged 100 years and over) living in Scotland in mid-2023, an increase from 580 centenarians in mid-2003.
- The sex ratio among centenarians in Scotland continues to reduce over time; in 2023, there were 4.6 women to every man aged 100 years and over, compared to 7.7 women to every man in 2003.
- Scotland had the second lowest proportion of centenarians in the UK in mid-2023; Northern Ireland had the lowest proportion with 15 centenarians per 100,000 people, followed by Scotland with 18 people, England with 24 people, and Wales with 26 people.