Population on the rise, but marriage falling in Borders
births, deaths and marriages
The population of the Borders has increased due to more people moving into the area, but, unlike the rest of Scotland, fewer couples are tying the knot.
New figures have revealed that the Borders’ population rose from 112,876 in 2011 to 113,150 last year. Births and deaths in the region increased at similar rates. There were 1,140 births in 2012,compared to 1,108 in 2011; and 1,282 deaths, up slighly on the 1,234 recorded in 2011.
The 2012 statistics published by the National Records of Scotland show that, for the third year in a row, the number of marriages has risen, and now stands at the highest figure since 2005.
Nationally, marriage may have been more popular in 2012 than 2011, but not here in the Borders, where the numbers went down from 732 to 688 last year.
Civil partnerships in the region are on the increase though, up from 10 (six male and four female) in 2011 to 13 in 2012 (six male and seven female). Nationally, there were 574 civil partnerships (257 male and 317 female), 20 more than during 2011.
Tim Ellis, the new chief executive of the National Records of Scotland, said: “In historic terms, the number of marriages in 2012 was relatively low. However, the total number of marriages has been rising since 2009 and in 2012 reached 30,534, an increase of 4.8 per cent on the 2011 figure.
“Although deaths rose in 2012, they are not high in historical terms.
“From the mid-1940s to the mid-1990s, there tended to be between 60,000 and 65,000 deaths per year, and larger numbers before then - far more than in recent years, when the annual totals have been below 55,000.
“There is usually some year-to-year fluctuation.”
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