After nine years of continuous growth, Scotland’s population in mid-2011 reached 5,254,800 - the highest ever. These figures, based on 2001 Census data, show a rise of 190,600 people over that period.
The annual report from the Registrar General has also revealed that there were 58,590 births registered in Scotland in 2011. The percentage of babies born to unmarried couples rose steadily from the 1970s until 2008. In 2010 it was slightly more than 50% for Scotland as a whole, the same level as in the previous two years. Most births are registered by both parents. In 2010 and 2011, 5.3% of births were registered in just the mother’s name – the lowest percentage since 1981.
There were 29,135 marriages in Scotland in 2011. This includes 6,829 marriages (23%) where neither the bride nor groom lived in Scotland, but does not include people living in Scotland who marry elsewhere.
The average age at which people marry for the first time has increased by around two years in the last ten years, to 32.6 years for men and 30.9 years for women.
