Births, Deaths and Other Vital Events - Quarterly Figures

Last update: 9 September 2020
Next update: December 2020

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Key Points

• There were 1,145 births and 18,201 deaths registered in Scotland between 1 April and 30 June 2020.
• In mid-March registration offices closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and registration of births was postponed. This means that the number of registrations does not reflect the actual number of births so far in 2020. Some birth registrations restarted in late June and there are a large number of birth registrations still to take place from the period when registrations were postponed. Once all births which occurred in quarter two have been registered we will be able to provide more meaningful statistics for the period of postponement.
• At 18,201, the number of deaths in 2020 quarter two is 33.3 per cent higher than quarter two of 2019. Compared to the quarter two average over the previous five years there were 4,515 more deaths, an increase of 33.0 per cent.
• Expressed as a rate, there were 13.4 deaths per 1,000 population.
• The age-standardised mortality rate for the four-quarter period ending in 2020 quarter 2 was 7.6 per cent higher than the previous four-quarter period. This rate takes into account the growing and ageing population and is therefore the best indicator of the direction of the mortality trend.  
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) was the underlying cause in 3,739 deaths during quarter two. This represents 83% of the 4,515 excess deaths when compared to the five year average for quarter two.
• Compared with the quarter two average over the previous five years, 2015-2019:
  • The number of cancer deaths rose by 1.5 per cent to 3,972;
  • The number of deaths from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease rose by 24.5 per cent to 1,727;
  • The number of deaths from coronary heart disease fell by 1.8 per cent to 1,616;
  • Deaths from respiratory diseases fell by 20.6 per cent to 1,258;
  • There were 983 deaths from cerebrovascular disease (an increase of 5.3 per cent).
  • The number of deaths from diseases of the genitourinary system rose by 22.5 per cent to 298;
  • Deaths from diabetes rose by 26.2 per cent to 287;
  • Deaths from transport accidents decreased by 69.1 per cent to 16.
• There were 117 marriages, compared with an average of 7,938 second quarter marriages for the previous five years. Registration offices closed in mid-March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and most marriages and civil partnerships could not take place.
• There were 5 same-sex marriages, compared with an average of 286 for the previous five years.
• There was 1 civil partnership registered in the quarter, compared to an average of 16 in the second quarter for the previous five years.

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