Scots centenarians reach record

A large majority of centenarians are woman

The number of people in Scotland living for more than 100 years has reached record levels.

New figures from the Registrar General estimate that there were 680 centenarians in 2006 - the overwhelming majority being female.

Women accounted for 600 of the total with only 80 men reaching the milestone.

However the gap appears to be closing as men accounted for one in eight last year but less than one in 10 in 2002.

The rapid increase in the number of very elderly people began in the 1950s and is largely put down to improvements in housing, healthcare, nutrition and sanitation.

Duncan Macniven, Registrar General for Scotland, said centenarians were a thriving demographic.

Rising steadily

He said: "Since the 1950s, the number of centenarians has been growing more quickly than any other age group.

"The increase has been driven largely by increased survival rates of people who are over 80, thanks for example to improvements in medical treatment, housing and living standards in general."

The number of centenarians in recent years has shown a consistent increase.

In 2002 there were around 520, 550 in 2003, 570 in 2004, and 610 in 2005.

According to the latest analysis, fewer than 30,000 people alive in 2002 were in their nineties.

But by 2006, this has risen to 31,730 - 24,180 women and 7,550 men.

The estimates also suggest that 30 of the centenarians alive in 2006 were 105 or older.