Scotland has recorded its lowest number of births since official records began in 1855, according to new figures released by National Records of Scotland.
Just 45,763 live births were registered in 2024, 172 fewer than in 2023.
The country’s total fertility rate has also reached a record low of 1.25.
The figures show that Scotland’s population continues to decline naturally, with 16,528 more deaths than births recorded last year.
Scotland has had more deaths than births every year since 2014, with the gap steadily widening.
“The annual figures for 2024 show a year of record lows,” said Phillipa Haxton, head of vital events statistics at NRS.
“Births, fertility, stillbirth and age-standardised mortality rates are all at their lowest levels since our records began.”
In more positive news, the stillbirth rate and infant death rate have both improved.
The stillbirth rate fell to 3.5 per thousand births, the joint lowest ever and the infant death rate dropped from 4.0 in 2023 to 3.5 per thousand live births.
Overall deaths also declined, with 62,291 registered in 2024, a 2% drop on the previous year.
The age-standardised mortality rate fell to 1,105 per 100,000 people, marking another record low.
Males continued to experience higher mortality rates than females.
“These figures reflect long-term changes in our population,” Haxton added.
“The gap between births and deaths has widened over time but there was a small narrowing in the most recent year due to a static birth rate and fewer deaths.”
On a lighter note, marriages rose slightly to 26,955, 202 more than in 2023, while civil partnerships saw their highest total since 2006, with 796 registered.
Notably, 83% of those were between mixed-sex couples, reflecting broader changes since the law was expanded in 2021.
