A provisional figure of 10,616 births were registered in Scotland between April and June 2026, according to new statistics from National Records of Scotland.
This is the lowest quarterly total since quarter two of 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions delayed registrations.
The figure is 4.5% lower than the quarter two average of 11,116.
There were 14,542 deaths registered in quarter two, which is 1.8% lower than the expected number of 14,803. The total number of deaths registered has now been lower than expected for 12 consecutive quarters. However, the number of deaths in quarter two was closer to the expected number than in recent quarters.
Deaths were lower than expected in all broad age groups. However, deaths among men aged under 65 were 2.9% higher than expected, with 1,575 deaths compared with an expected 1,530.
The leading causes of death were Cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and coronary heart disease.
NRS head of vital events statistics Phillipa Haxton said:
“Birth registrations in Scotland have generally been falling over the longer term. The latest birth rate was 7.7 per 1,000 people, compared with 10.4 a decade earlier.
“The overall number of deaths was below expected levels for the twelfth quarter in a row. However, looking at age and sex together shows a different pattern for men aged under 65, whose deaths were higher than expected in the latest quarter.”
There were 7,909 marriages, 3.9% higher than the quarter two average of 7,613. Of these, 308 (3.9%) were same-sex marriages, slightly more than the quarter two average of 280 (3.7% of all marriages).
320 civil partnerships were registered in quarter two. Of these, 279 (87%) involved mixed-sex couples. There were 41 same-sex civil partnerships, compared with a quarter two average of 29.
These figures are provisional.
