Big rise in number of Scottish centenarians

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-24347390

Version 0 of 1.

There are 800 people in Scotland over the age of 100, according to figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

Over the past decade, the number of centenarians has risen by 57%.

Woman over 100 outnumber men, although longer life expectancy for men is beginning to narrow the gap.

There has also been a significant rise in the number of people in their 90s, partly because of a marked increase in the number of births in 1920 and 1921.

The figures were based on analysis of the 2011 census.

NRS chief executive Tim Ellis said: "The number of centenarians living in Scotland has been steadily rising, from 510 in 2001 to 800 in 2012, which is a growth of 57%.

"In 2012 there were 18 male centenarians per hundred female centenarians, an increase from 13 in 2001, indicating a narrowing of the gap in mortality between men and women for this age group.

"Estimates of the number of people aged 90 to 99 show relatively big increases in 2011 and 2012. This is partly due to births in 1920 and 1921 being much higher than in the preceding years.

"The number of births in 1920 was the highest since the introduction of national registration in 1855."

Since 2001, the number of centenarians relative to the rest of the population has increased.

However, there are still only 1.5 centenarians for every 10,000 people.