Deaths: key data sources

The General Register Office for Scotland is the main source of mortality statistics in Scotland. Its vital events pages contain a wide variety of mortality tables including statistics back to 1851, cause-specific mortality (including drug-related deaths), stillbirths and infant deaths data. Mortality figures are broken by gender, different administrative geographies, as well as other factors (e.g. country of birth).

Mortality data for other parts of the UK can be accessed through the deaths pages of the National Statistics (ONS) website.

Note also that some mortality and mortality-related data (e.g. age-standardised all-cause death rates, life expectancy, infant deaths) are included within NHS Health Scotland's Community Profiles (now held on this website).

Sources of international mortality data are included within the international data sources page of the website.