Death rate at lowest ever level
Scotland's death rate is continuing to fall and in 2005 there were 55,747 deaths - the lowest total since civil registration began in 1855.  This was highlighted in the Registrar General for Scotland's Annual Review of Demographic Trends, published on Friday.

Other key points in the report are:

Population
For the eighth year in a row, there were more deaths than births, although the difference of 2,300 was the smallest since 1998.  Scotland's population in mid-2005 was slightly lower (0.2%) than in mid-1995.  While there were 10% fewer people aged under 30, there were sharp increases for those aged 30 and over, particularly for those aged 45-59 and 75 & over (14 and 15%, respectively).

Births
47% of births in 2005 were to unmarried parents, compared with 34% in 1995.  In 2005, the average age of the mother at childbirth was 29.5, compared with 27.4 in 1991, 26.1 in 1977, and 27.4 in 1964.

The total fertility rate (TFR) rose to 1.62 in 2005, higher than the historic low of 1.48 in 2002, but much lower than the 1964 peak of 3.09 and the 'replacement' level of about 2.1.

The average completed family size for women born in 1971 was 1.06 by the time they reached 30 - for women born in 1951, the same figure was 1.67.

Deaths
In 2005, the two most common causes of death were cancer (27% of deaths) and coronary heart disease (19%).  The total number of suicides and probable suicides ('intentional self-harm' and 'undetermined') in 2005 was 763, a fall of 72 on 2004.

Marriages
Civil and religious marriages each accounted for around half of all marriages in 2005.  In 1971, over two-thirds of marriages were religious.  Since June 2002, civil marriages can be held in 'approved places' outwith registration offices.  In 2005, 7,055 civil ceremonies (23% of all marriages and 45% of civil marriages) were conducted at these 'approved places'.

Households
Between 2004 and 2024, the number of households is projected to increase by 13% to 2.5 million - an average of 14,800 additional households per year.  Most of the projected increase in the number of households is the result of the ageing population and more people living alone or in smaller households, rather than an increase in the overall population.  This is part of a longer-term trend - the average household size fell from over 3 people in the 1960s to 2.2 people by 2004, and is projected to fall below 2 people by 2024.

The largest projected increases are in small households with one and two adults, and there are projected decreases in the number of larger households, containing two or more adults with children, or three or more adults.

The number of households headed by someone aged 60 or over is projected to increase by over a third between 2004 and 2024, to nearly a million, whereas the number of households headed by someone aged under 60 is projected to increase by just two%, to around 1.5 million.

Causes of death
The death rate in Scotland has fallen from 21 deaths per 1,000 population in 1855 to 11 in 2005.  The number of deaths of children aged under 5 fell from 22,671 in 1855 to 344 in 2005.   In 1855, 493 mothers died in childbirth or from causes associated with pregnancy, compared to 4 in 2005.

Deaths from infectious diseases declined dramatically during the twentieth century.  The number of deaths from whooping cough and measles fell from 1,903 and 1,180 respectively in 1855 to zero in 2005.

Death rates from circulatory diseases peaked in the 1950s, when this grouping of diseases accounted for over 50% of all deaths in Scotland. In 2005, they accounted for 36% of deaths.  Cancer now accounts for the greatest number of deaths and lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths.  For men, the annual death rate rose sharply to a peak in the 1970s before falling ever since.  For women, by contrast, the rate was lower and increased more gradually until the mid-1990s but has not reduced significantly since then.

Alcohol-related deaths significantly increased from the early 1990s, particularly among men aged 45-59.

The full report can be downloaded here: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/library/annrep/rgs-annual-review-2005/index.html