Scotland sees sharpest rise in marriages since post-war years

Scotland saw its sharpest rise in the number of couples tying the knot last year since the post-war booms of 1919 and 1945, according to statisticians.

Figures released by National Records of Scotland (NRS) suggest there were 30,033 marriages in Scotland in 2022, 24% higher than in 2021 and the highest number since 2012.

Apart from the 103% rise in marriages seen in 2021 due to lockdown restrictions on gatherings in 2020 the only comparable year-on-year rises were in the post-war years.

In a new report, statisticians also highlight Scotland’s total fertility rate has fallen to a new low.

The rate must be at least 2.1 for a country’s population to replace itself but last year it fell to 1.28, down from 1.3 in 2021.

There were 46,959 births in Scotland in 2022 which was lower than in 2021 but slightly higher than the lowest number ever recorded, which was 46,809 in 2020.

Head of vital events statistics at NRS, Daniel Burns, said: “Following the global health emergency these statistics show us the scale of the disruption.

“Only the two world wars have had more impact on the number of marriages taking place.

“There were 62,941 deaths in 2022, down by 1% on 2021. There were 15,982 more deaths than births. This measure is sometimes called ‘natural change’.

“The last time Scotland had more births than deaths was in 2014. Scotland’s overall population has continued to grow since this time through inward migration alone.”

There were also 630 civil partnerships registered in 2022, the highest number since 2007.

The majority of civil partnerships in Scotland are mixed sex (84% in 2022), following a change in legislation in 2021.