Scots centenarian numbers rise by 30% in eight years

Scottish centenarians were extremely rare 100 years ago

The number of Scottish centenarians has risen to 750, making it the most rapidly increasing age group of the population, according to new figures.

The Registrar General for Scotland said the number of people who were 100 years old or more rose by more than a third from 570 in 2002 to 750 in 2009.

However, estimates suggested there had been a drop in the number of people aged 90 to 99 in the last three years.

This was attributed to fewer babies being born during World War I.

Duncan Macniven, Registrar General for Scotland, said almost nine out of every 10 centenarians were women but the proportion of men was slowly increasing.

The report, Centenarians in Scotland 2002-2009, indicated that in 2009, women accounted for 640 of Scotland's centenarians while about 110 men had reached the milestone.

"A hundred years ago, Scottish centenarians were extremely rare," he said.

"However, by the start of the 21st Century, there were estimated to be more than 500 people in Scotland who were 100 years old or more and the number has been rising steadily ever since."

There is no register of centenarians and the figures are estimates based on 'age at death' data.