Deaths in Scotland outnumber births as country sees 'negative natural change'
dailyrecord.co.ukScotland suffered "negative natural change" in its population, as deaths outnumbered births last year. New figures from National Records of Scotland (NRS) showed we had a "shortfall" of 15,983 in 2022.There were 46,959 births and 62,942 deaths across the whole year, including 11,899 births registered in the final three months of last year - which is down by 4.9 per cent when compared to the average for this period over the last five years.Meanwhile, the number of deaths was 9.3 per cent above the average, with NRS data showing 16,856 deaths were recorded in October to December 2022.
Compared to the four-year average for 2016 to 2019, the final quarter of 2022 had 8.7 per cent more deaths from respiratory diseases - with these totalling 1,900.There were 4.5 per cent more deaths from coronary heart disease than the average, with 1,835 recorded.
There were also 1,775 deaths from dementia and Alzheimer's disease, with the total for this 3.1 per cent higher than the average.Cancer deaths were 1.3 per cent higher than the average, with 4,291 people dying as a result of the disease in the last quarter of 2022.
Cerebrovascular disease - such as strokes - killed 1,084 people over the three-month period, with this 3.8 per cent higher than the average from 2016 to 2019.
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