National Records of Scotland

Preserving the past, Recording the present, Informing the future

Statistical Service in Scotland

Statistical Service in Scotland

National Records of Scotland (NRS)

We, the National Records of Scotland (NRS) are a Non-Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government. Our purpose is to collect, preserve and produce information about Scotland's people and history and make it available to inform current and future generations. We do this as follows.

  • Preserving the past – We look after Scotland’s national archives so that they are available for current and future generations, and we make available important information for family history.
  • Recording the present – At our network of local offices, we register births, marriages, civil partnerships, deaths, divorces and adoptions in Scotland.
  • Informing the future – We are responsible for the Census of Population in Scotland which we use, with other sources of information, to produce statistics on the population and households.

National Statistics

Many NRS publications are identified as National Statistics. National Statistics publications have been produced to high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics which is available from the UK Statistics Authority website. These statistics undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference. Any breaches are reported on our Breaches of the Code of Practice page.

Other NRS Statistics

Further detailed statistics produced by NRS are available from the Statistics pages of this website. Results from the 2001 and 2011 censuses can be found on the Scotland's Census website.

Information about future publications is provided on this website. If you would like to receive notification of forthcoming statistical publications, you can register your interest on the Scottish Government Scotstat website.

Complaints and Suggestions

If you are not satisfied with our service or you have any comments on our service or suggestions for how we can improve it, please contact our Demography Division Head:

Alan Ferrier, Senior Statistician, National Records of Scotland,
Room 1/2/12, Ladywell House, Ladywell Road, Edinburgh. EH12 7TF.
Telephone: (0131) 314 4530
E-mail: alan.ferrier@nrscotland.gov.uk

Related Organisations

Organisation

The Scottish Government (SG): The SG is responsible for the bulk of the work of the devolved Government of Scotland. The aim of the statistical service in the SG is to provide relevant and reliable statistical information, analysis and advice that meets the needs of government, business and the people of Scotland.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for producing a wide range of economic and social statistics. It also, for England and Wales, holds the Census of Population.

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) is Northern Ireland’s official statistics organisation. The Agency also has responsibility, in Northern Ireland, for the registration of births, marriages, adoptions and deaths and the Census of Population.

Enquiries

Please contact us for further information on the Statistical Service in Scotland or any other statistical enquiries.

© Crown Copyright

Brief extracts from the Crown Copyright material in National Records of Scotland publications may be reproduced provided the source is fully acknowledged.