Death rate drops to historic low

The number of deaths was 242 fewer than the same period last year

The Scottish death rate for the first three months of the year was the lowest in 30 years, the registrar general has revealed.

A total of 14,830 deaths were registered in the first quarter, 242 fewer than the same period in 2008.

This was the lowest number and represented the lowest death rate between January and February for at least 30 years.

The birth rate also fell compared with the same period last year.

The figures showed 14,505 births were registered in the first three months of the year - 600 fewer than in the first quarter of 2008, but still almost 300 more than in the same period in 2007.

Registrar General for Scotland Duncan Macniven said: "Although today's figures show a record low number of deaths, we shouldn't make too much of a single quarter.

"Death rates fluctuate through the year and quarterly data can't be taken as indicative of the year ahead.

"Similarly, the decrease in births this quarter doesn't necessarily mean that the rise in the number of births since 2002 has ended. There have been occasional quarterly decreases during that period and the most recent four quarters taken together had more births than the equivalent period a year earlier."

Other comparisons with the first quarter of 2008 showed that marriages were down by 250, from 3,441 to 3,191.

There were 53 civil partnerships, 45 fewer than the 98 partnerships registered in the first quarter of 2008.

And deaths from stroke and coronary heart disease fell by 5.9% and 6.3% respectively, while deaths from cancer dropped by 2.3%.