Vital Events - Deaths

Deaths data can also be found in our Quarterly, Preliminary Annual, Weekly and Monthly Data and Vital Events Reference Tables publications in the General Publications section.

The Vital Events Reference Tables include the following statistics about deaths (some tables are for the latest year, others provide time-series):

• numbers and rates (per 1,000 population), for Scotland, Local Authority and NHS Board areas - Tables 1.1 to 1.3
• rates (per 1,000 population) by sex and age-group, for Scotland - Table 5.1
• numbers by sex and age-group, for Scotland, Local Authority and NHS Board areas - Table 5.2

Deaths - Background Information

Deaths from Specific Causes

Several Vital Events Reference Tables provide statistics about causes of deaths, including the following:

• by sex and cause, for Scotland - Table 6.1 (numbers: time-series)
• by sex, age-group and cause, for Scotland - Table 6.2 (latest year's numbers and rates per 100,000 population), Table 6.4 (latest year's numbers, with a very detailed classification of the cause), and Tables 6.6 to 6.9 (rates per 100,000: time-series for certain causes of death)
• by sex and cause for Local Authority and NHS Board areas - Table 6.3 (numbers for the latest year).

The following sections contain information and data on specific causes of death in Scotland:

• Accidental Deaths
• Alcohol Deaths
• Avoidable mortality
• Covid-19 Deaths
• Clostridium Difficile (C.diff) Deaths
• Dementia and Alzheimers Deaths
• Drug-related Deaths in Scotland
• Homeless Deaths
• Hypothermia Deaths
• MRSA Deaths
• Suicides
• Volatile Substance Abuse and Helium Deaths

Winter Mortality
This section presents current and previous data on 'winter mortality' in Scotland.

Death Time Series data
This page contains datasets in Excel format that may be particularly useful for users who would like the same data for a series of different years rather than just for one year.

Age-standardised death rates calculated using the European Standard Population
This provides death rates which have been 'standardised' using the European Standard Population, to show any trend in the underlying rates of death. Statistics are available for all causes of death taken together, and for a number of specific causes, for all persons and for each sex, separately for people of all ages and for those aged under 75.

Deaths statistics available from other websites 
This page will direct you to some other official websites which have statistics on deaths, including some figures for areas within Scotland and for other parts of the UK.

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