The number of births registered in Scotland during the first quarter of 2008 increased by 6.3 per cent compared to the same period of 2007.

Provisional figures for births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships published by the Registrar General for Scotland for the first quarter of 2008 also shows there were about 750 fewer deaths compared to a year ago. Deaths from cancer and stroke fell by 0.2 per cent and 5 per cent respectively, while deaths from coronary heart disease fell by 13.5 per cent. However, the report added that quarterly figures are more volatile than annual totals, which have tended to fall by between 2 per cent and 8 per cent in recent years.

There were 108 more marriages recorded in Scotland in the first quarter of 2008 compared to a year ago, however, the number, 3,441, is fewer than in 2006 when there were 3,495.

There were 98 civil partnerships registered in the quarter, 54 male and 44 female, 14 fewer than the 112 partnerships registered in the first quarter of 2007.

Registrar General for Scotland Duncan Macniven said: “More than 15,000 births were registered in January, February and March, continuing the recent increase in the birth rate. Though we should not make too much of a single quarter, there were around 900 more births in the first quarter of this year than in 2007. Indeed, the number was the highest in the first quarter for 13 years.

“The first quarter of 2008 saw more marriages and fewer deaths than in the same period last year, but in 2007 the number of marriages had been the lowest in the first quarter for more than thirty years and the number of deaths was the highest in the first quarter since 2000.”

For a copy of the full report, including local breakdowns, click here.

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