Scottish births up, marriages down

The Registrar General for Scotland, Duncan Macniven, has released information on civil registration trends for 2008.

"More than 60,000 births were registered in 2008 - the highest number in Scotland since 1995 - the Registrar General announced today.

New figures also show the number of marriages in Scotland dropped from 29,866 in 2007 to 28,903, the lowest level since Victorian times."

Some findings in the press release:

- the 60,041 birth total for the year was the highest since 1995. This is the sixth annual increase in a row.

- the proportion of births to unmarried parents topped 50 per cent for the first time in a whole year.

- the number of marriages dropped to 28,903, their lowest level since Victorian times.

- the number of divorces fell by more than a quarter.

The detailed 2008 Births, Marriages and Deaths - Preliminary Annual Figures are available for viewing or downloading free of charge.

And a note for BIFHSGO: negotiations are underway to have Duncan Macniven as a speaker at September's BIFHSGO conference.