NRS Vital Events statistics only include events that happen in Scotland.
All vital events that happen in Scotland must be registered in Scotland, even if the people involved live in another country.
For example, if a tourist from the United States dies while visiting Scotland, the death is registered in Scotland.
They do not include events involving people who live in Scotland but which happen elsewhere.
For example, if a person who lives in Scotland dies in Northern Ireland, that death is not included in Scotland’s statistics. It is counted instead in the deaths registered in Northern Ireland and published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).
Please note that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) includes deaths of residents of other UK countries and visitors in the overall England and Wales mortality totals. These deaths are excluded from subnational geographical breakdowns.
Geographical breakdowns
For births, stillbirths and deaths, statistics are usually based on where the person lives, not where the event happened.
For births and stillbirths, this means where the mother lives
For deaths, this means where the person who died lived
When statistics are shown for areas within Scotland (such as council areas or health boards), they are normally based on the person’s place of residence, as long as that place is in Scotland.
If the person did not live in Scotland, the event is counted based on where it happened.
Marriage statistics are different. Marriage and civil partnership statistics are based on where the ceremony took place, not where the people involved usually live. They include all marriages and civil partnerships registered in Scotland, even if neither person is resident in Scotland.
Because a marriage or civil partnership involves two people, statistics for areas within Scotland (such as council areas) are usually based on the location of the event.
Marriages involving people who live in Scotland but take place abroad are not included in these statistics
NRS also publishes marriage statistics broken down by information about the couple, such as the countries of birth of each party.
Unless stated otherwise, users should assume that:
births, stillbirths and deaths are based on place of residence
marriages are based on where the marriage took place
Occasionally, NRS produces statistics of births, stillbirths and deaths which are on other bases, such as broken down by the hospital or the health board in which the event occurred. In such cases, NRS clearly describes the basis of the statistics.
Place of residence
Most Vital Events statistics are based on usual place of residence (for example, the person involved, or the mother where relevant), rather than the place where the event took place.
Births and stillbirths
When a birth or stillbirth is registered, the mother’s usual address at the time is recorded.
In the small number of cases where this is not known, the event may be counted based on where the baby was found.
Deaths
For deaths, determining where the person lived can be more complex. A death record may include:
the place of death
the person’s usual address at the time of death
a former address, if they lived there within the previous 12 months
A place of residence can be a private home, care home, hospice, hostel, or another place where someone lives.
When more than one address is recorded, NRS selects one address to use for statistical purposes. This is usually the usual residence, but there are exceptions:
if the person lived at their usual address for less than 12 months, a former address may be used instead
if none of the addresses were lived in for 12 months or more, the address lived in for the longest period is usually chosen
For people who moved to Scotland within the last year:
a Scottish address is normally used if they had registered with a GP in Scotland
if not, a former address outside Scotland may be used instead
In a small number of unusual cases, NRS uses professional judgement, based on all available information, to decide which address is most appropriate.
Geographic areas
Administrative areas: councils and NHS boards
In some Vital Events statistics, administrative areas means local authority (council) areas and NHS board (health board) areas.
The current local authority areas were introduced on 1 April 1996. NRS has reassigned earlier records where possible so that statistics can be shown for these current areas back to 1974, although this was not possible for a small number of cases.
Most NHS board areas were introduced on 1 April 1974. Published tables now use the current NHS board boundaries, which have been in place since 1 April 2014. For years before that, NRS combines historical NHS board information with local authority data to estimate figures for the current NHS board areas.
There have been some minor changes to the boundaries of local authorities and NHS board areas since they were introduced.
Data zone codes
Data zones are small geographic areas used to publish local statistics. They were introduced in 2004 using 2001 Census results and are built from groups of Census output areas. They are used as building blocks for producing statistics for higher geographies and were later updated in 2014 and 2024 following the 2011 and 2022 Censuses. Data zones are used as a building block to construct statistics for higher geographies.
NRS has added data zone codes to Vital Events records retrospectively, where possible. In some cases, this could not be done because:
the postcode recorded at registration no longer existed,
the postcode was invalid, or
the postcode was recorded incorrectly.
As a result:
for births and deaths from 1999 onwards, almost all records have both a 2001 Data Zone code and a 2011 Data Zone code
for earlier years, 2001 Data Zone codes are missing for a small proportion of births and deaths (around 1 to 2%), depending on the year
for earlier years, 2011 Data Zone codes are missing for a small proportion of births (around 1 to 2%), depending on the year
for earlier years, 2011 Data Zone codes are missing for a relatively small proportion of deaths (around 3% on average). However, the proportion varies by year, with up to 11% of deaths missing a 2011 Data Zone code in some years
Users should be aware that data zone‑based figures for earlier years may be slightly incomplete.
Urban/rural classification
The Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification provides a consistent way of defining urban and rural areas across Scotland. First developed around 2000 by the Office of the Chief Statistician, it is available in both 6‑fold and 8‑fold versions and has since been incorporated into Vital Events datasets.
NRS added these classifications to earlier records where possible, using the postcode recorded at registration. In a small number of cases this could not be done, for example if:
the postcode no longer existed
the postcode was invalid, or
the postcode was recorded incorrectly
As a result:
for deaths from 1999 onwards, urban/rural information is available for almost all records
for earlier years, it is missing for a small proportion of cases (around 1–2%, depending on the year)
The further back in time you go, the less reliable the classification may be, because some areas have changed from a more rural class to a more urban class (or vice versa) since the classifications were created.
Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) is a measure of how deprived an area is. Deprivation can relate to low income, but it can also reflect fewer resources or opportunities.
A score is given to all of Scotland’s data zones based on multiple indicators of deprivation. Data zones are then ranked from the most deprived to the least deprived.
NRS has added SIMD classifications to vital events records retrospectively, where possible, using the data zone code. In a small number of cases this could not be done because a data zone code was not available.
As a result:
The ranked data zones are then grouped into five or ten equal-sized groups, known as SIMD quintiles or deciles.
SIMD quintiles or deciles are assigned according to the version of SIMD most relevant to the year in question. Years 2001 to 2003 use SIMD 2004, 2004 to 2006 use SIMD 2006, 2007 to 2009 use SIMD 2009, 2010 to 2013 use SIMD 2012 and 2014 to 2016 use SIMD 2016 and 2017 onwards use SIMD 2020.
