More people than ever before making the 100 club
The number of people in Scotland living for more than a century has reached a new high
Figures from the Registrar General estimate that in 2010 there were 820 centenarians living in Scotland.
George MacKenzie, Registrar General for Scotland, said: "The number of Scottish centenarians has been steadily rising, from 570 in 2002 to 820 in 2010, an increase of 44 per cent. Around eight out of every 10 centenarians are women.
"Estimates for 2010 show a rise in the number of people aged 90 to 99, partly because the number of births during the year 1920 was at its highest level since the introduction of national registration in 1855. This was the large birth cohort after the First World War."
A century ago, centenarians in Scotland were very unusual, but this changed at the beginning of the 21st century when estimates showed there were over 500 people aged 100 years old and over in Scotland. The number of centenarians has been increasing ever since.
The overwhelming majority of centenarians are women. In 2010, women accounted for 690 of Scotland’s centenarians (84 per cent) while 130 men had reached the milestone.
Although the male population aged 90 to 99 increased substantially from 2009 to 2010, almost three quarters of people in their 90s are women (73 per cent).
Relative to the rest of the population, the number of centenarians has increased since 2002, especially over the last few years, but there are still less than two centenarians for every 10,000 people (1.6 per 10,000).
To view the full report, "Centenarians in Scotland 2002-2010", visit:
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/population/estimates/special-populations/centenarians/index.html
