Birth rate drops to a record summer low
BIRTHS in Scotland fell to their lowest level on record during the summer.
Figures from the National Records of Scotland show 13,077 babies were born between July 1 and September 30.
This is down 5.5 per cent on the same period last year and the lowest level for these summer months since civil registration began in 1855.
The previous low for quarter three was 13,200 in 2001.
Births rose again to about 15,500 by July to September 2008.
Since then, births in these months have been falling and are now at 9.6 babies born per 1000 of the population.
Experts believe there is no single reason for the drop in births. Possible causes include women having babies later – which often means they will have fewer children – and the influence of economic uncertainty.
Registrar General for Scotland Anne Slate said: “The number of births for the third quarter of 2018 is now the lowest number recorded since civil registration began.”
The provisional figures show the number of deaths dropped between July 1 and September 30, down 4.2 per cent on the same period the previous year to 12,625, giving a rate of 9.2 deaths per 1000 of the population.
In the third quarter of 2018, deaths from heart disease were down 11.8 per cent on the same period in 2017, while cancer deaths were down 1.3 per cent and those caused by dementia and Alzheimer’s disease fell 5.2 per cent.
Marriages also show a decrease, at 10,118, their lowest level for the third quarter since 1943. This is down 6.9 per cent compared to the same period the previous year.
Same-sex marriages rose marginally by 1.1 per cent to 373 between July and September 2018 compared with the same months the previous year. Of these, 23 were changes from civil partnerships.