Births, Deaths and Other Vital Events - Quarterly Figures

Last update: 10 March 2021
Next update: June 2021

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Key Points

• There were 13,263 births and 16,626 deaths registered in Scotland between 1 October and 31 December 2020.
• In mid-March 2020 registration offices closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and registration of births was postponed. Birth registration restarted in late June and most of the postponed registrations have now taken place. The number of birth registrations in each quarter of 2020 does not reflect the actual number of births in each quarter. Quarter two registrations were very low due to the closure and quarter three registrations were very high as registrars caught up with the backlog.  Registrations in quarter four are also impacted by this as in some areas the backlog was still being cleared at this time.
• At 16,626, the number of deaths in 2020 quarter four is 12.5 per cent higher than the quarter four average over the previous five years – an excess of 1,849 deaths.
• This takes the provisional annual total for 2020 to 64,085; 11.0 per cent above the average of the previous five years (57,760). Over the course of the year, quarter one was broadly in line with the average (-1.2%), quarter two had a 33.0 per cent excess, quarter three returned to broadly in line with the average (+1.2%) and quarter four was 12.5% above average.
• Expressed as a rate, there were 12.1 deaths per 1,000 population in quarter four.
• The age-standardised mortality rate for the four-quarter period ending in 2020 quarter 4 was 1.3 per cent higher than the previous four-quarter period (ending 2020 quarter 3). This rate 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 period ending in 2019 quarter 4, the age-standardised mortality rate for the period ending in 2020 quarter 4 was 8.9% higher.
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) was the underlying cause of 2,093 deaths during quarter four.
• Compared with the quarter four average over the previous five years, 2015-2019:
  • The number of cancer deaths fell by 1.1 per cent to 4,113;
  • The number of deaths from coronary heart disease was unchanged at 1,738;
  • The number of deaths from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease fell by 7.3 per cent to 1,516;
  • Deaths from respiratory diseases fell by 30.3 per cent to 1,234;
  • There were 988 deaths from cerebrovascular disease (a decrease of 4.3 per cent).   
• There were 5,056 marriages, compared with an average of 6,066 fourth quarter marriages for the previous five years. Registration offices closed in mid-March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and most marriages and civil partnerships could not take place. Ceremonies have been able to take place on a restricted basis since late June.
• There were 183 same-sex marriages, compared with a five-year average of 238 for quarter four.
• There were 27 civil partnerships registered in the fourth quarter, compared to an average of 20 in the fourth quarter for the previous five years.

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