Scotland Vital Statistics 2023: Key Trends and Insights

As is the case across the world, Scotland’s demographic landscape is constantly shifting.

Whether you’re curious about how birth rates are changing, the number of people getting married vs entering a civil partnership, or which areas are seeing the biggest changes in their demographics, we’ve analysed the latest available statistics from the National Records of Scotland to bring you a neat rundown of the biggest talking points.

Dive into Scotland’s vital statistics for 2023, exploring the key trends and insights that shape the nation’s demographic landscape.

 

Scotland Vital Statistics 2023:

 

Declining Live Births

 

 

Breakdown:

• In 2023, Scotland registered 45,935 live births, marking a 2% decrease compared to 2022.
• This figure represents the lowest annual total since records began (1974).
• The last time Scotland experienced more births than deaths was in 2014.

Ranking/Council	2023	2022	% Change
1. Glasgow	5,977	6,112	-2.21%
2. Edinburgh	4,194	4,405	-4.79%
3. North Lanarkshire	3,073	3,146	-2.32%
4. South Lanarkshire	3,048	3,163	-3.64%
5. Fife	2,939	2,990	-1.71%
6. Aberdeen City	2,092	1,939	7.89%
7. Aberdeenshire	2,072	2,159	-4.03%
8. West Lothian	1,828	1,660	10.12%
9. Highland	1,788	1,909	-6.34%
10. Renfrewshire	1,663	1,754	-5.19%
11. Falkirk	1,316	1,413	-6.86%
12. Dundee	1,315	1,340	-1.87%
13. Perth and Kinross	1,133	1,153	-1.73%
14. Dumfries and Galloway	1,123	1,093	2.74%
15. East Ayrshire	1,042	1,019	2.26%

 

Biggest increases in births registered:

1. South Ayrshire = 10.28%
2. West Lothian = 10.12%
3. Aberdeen City= 7.89%

Biggest decreases in births registered:

1. Shetland Islands = -14.49%
2. Angus = -10.57%
3. East Lothian = -8.12%

 

Deaths Registered See a Small Increase

 

Breakdown:

• In 2023, Scotland recorded 63,445 deaths, a 1% increase from 2022.
• This was relatively even across genders, with women representing 50.06% and men representing 49.94%.
• The total number of deaths is the third highest since the year 2000, only surpassed by 2020 (64,093) and 2021 (63,587).

Ranking/Council	2023	2022	% Change
1. Glasgow	6,477	6,501	-0.37%
2. Edinburgh	4,780	4,761	0.4%
3. Fife	4,582	4,560	0.48%
4. North Lanarkshire	4,072	3,876	5.06%
5. South Lanarkshire	4,014	3,818	5.13%
6. Highland	2,841	2,940	-3.37%
7. Aberdeenshire	2,719	2,615	3.98%
8. Aberdeen	2,255	2,248	0.31%
9. Renfrewshire	2,195	2,130	3.05%
10. Dumfries and Galloway	2,145	2,185	-1.83%
11. North Ayrshire	1,899	1,916	-0.89%
12. Falkirk	1,894	1,964	-3.56%
13. West Lothian	1,884	1,798	4.78%
14. Perth and Kinross	1,870	1,922	-2.71%
15. Dundee	1,811	1,732	4.56%

 

Biggest decreases in deaths registered:

1. Midlothian = -9.07%
2. Na h-Eileanan = -5.75%
3. Falkirk = -3.56%

Biggest increases in deaths registered:

1. Shetland Islands = 9.57%
2. East Renfrewshire = 6.27%
3. Moray = 5.63%

 

Marriage Trends: Returning to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Breakdown:

• Scotland saw 26,753 marriages in 2023, an 11% decrease from 2022.
• This number is close to the pre-pandemic figure of 26,007 marriages in 2019, indicating normalisation following the immediate post-pandemic surge in weddings.

Ranking/Council	2023	2019	% Change
1. Dumfries and Galloway	4,751	4,108	15.65%
2. Edinburgh	2,688	2,618	2.67%
3. Glasgow	2,027	2,295	-11.67%
4. Highland	1,689	1,487	13.58%
5. Fife	1,517	1,490	1.81%
6. Aberdeenshire	1,176	1,164	1.03%
7. Perth and Kinross	1,017	959	6.04%
8. Argyll and Bute	962	995	-3.31%
9. South Lanarkshire	923	1,038	-11.07%
10. South Ayrshire	792	793	-0.12%

 

There are a few authorities though who have seen big changes in marriage volumes since 2019:

Biggest increases in marriages:

1. East Dunbartonshire = 62.12%
2. East Renfrewshire = 61.64%
3. Orkney Islands = 16.88%

Biggest decreases in marriages:

1. Falkirk = -19.37%
2. Stirling = -16.06%
3. Clackmannanshire = -15.59%

 

In terms of a breakdown of marriages by type, of the 26,753 marriages, 54% were conducted as religious or other belief ceremonies, with the rest being mostly comprised of register office or other civil marriage ceremonies.

Marriage Type	Marriage Subtype	Volume
All Marriages		26,753
Civil Marriages		12,251
	Registration Office	6,224
	Other Civil Marriages	6,027
	Hospitals, care homes etc.	–
Irregular Marriages		1
All Religious Forms and Other Beliefs		14,502

 

 

Civil Partnerships on the Rise: A Closer Look

Breakdown:

• 2023 saw 719 civil partnerships in Scotland, the highest number since 2006.
• Of these, 82% were mixed-sex partnerships, reflecting how the change of law has seen different couples enter this type of union instead of marriage.
• Many authorities saw exceptional increases from their pre-pandemic figures, many recording 3-figure increases.

Ranking/Council	2023	2019	% Change
1. Edinburgh	189	23	721.74%
2. Glasgow	89	17	423.53%
3. Dumfries and Galloway	46	5	820%
4. Fife	45	2	2150%
5. Highland	41	6	583.33%

 

What’s important to note however is the possibility that this is continuing to be driven by a post-COVID boom in marriages and civil partnerships (due to the scale of the percentage increase) and this should be factored in when considering if this will be sustained in the long term.

 

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