Scotland recorded its lowest number of births for a third consecutive year in 2025, with 45,067 live births registered.

The total was almost 696 fewer than the previous year and the lowest annual figure since records began in 1855.

Deaths also outnumbered births for the 11th consecutive year, with the gap between the two generally widening since 2014.

Registrar General and National Records of Scotland chief executive Alison Byrne said: “This is the eleventh year in a row where deaths have outnumbered births and the third in a row where we have a new record low for the number of births in Scotland.

“Generations of change are captured in these figures.

“This data will inform debate and decision-making across the public and private sectors, as we consider what this means for our future.”

Figures published by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) show the country’s total fertility rate fell to 1.23 in 2025, from 1.24 in 2024.

The total fertility rate measures the average number of children born to each woman. A rate of around 2.1 is needed for a population to replace itself without migration.

Scotland’s 2025 figure was the lowest since the start of the NRS-published time series in 1951. The country’s fertility rate was last above 2.1 in 1973.

Despite the decline in births, Scotland’s population increased slightly in the year to June 2025, driven by migration.

The annual figures also showed an increase in stillbirths, from 159 in 2024 to 188 in 2025.

This represented 4.2 stillbirths for every 1,000 live and stillbirths, compared with 3.5 in 2024. The 2024 figure was the joint lowest stillbirth rate recorded for any year and remains historically low.

The infant death rate fell from 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2024 to 3.3 in 2025.

Adoptions declined from 369 in 2024 to 340 in 2025.

Meanwhile, 27,191 marriages took place in Scotland during 2025, 236 more than the previous year. Four per cent were same-sex marriages and 96 per cent were mixed-sex marriages.

Civil partnerships increased to 944, the highest number since 2006, the first full year in which civil partnerships were available.

The figures form part of the NRS annual release covering births, marriages, deaths and other vital life events in Scotland.

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Pregnant women are being advised to avoid runny or under-cooked eggs when eating out amid a developing salmonella outbreak.

The advice also applies to freshly made products that may contain uncooked eggs, including mayonnaise, soufflé and hollandaise sauce.

The FSA said well-cooked eggs served in restaurants, cafés and takeaways remain safe to eat.

The warning follows the UK Health Security Agency declaring a national outbreak of salmonella food poisoning after one person died and hundreds more fell ill.

Imported eggs or dishes containing them are thought to be behind the outbreak.

FSA chief scientific adviser Ian Young said: “If people are eating out or consuming eggs or egg-containing products from cafes and restaurants then for those people in particular who are young, elderly, pregnant or vulnerable, it’s important to make sure that any eggs or egg products that you consume in those settings have been very well cooked.”

He described the outbreak as “unusually large and rapidly increasing”, adding that “people need to be careful”.

The FSA said British eggs bought from supermarkets are not linked to the current outbreak because chickens bred in the UK are vaccinated against common strains of salmonella.

“There is no link to those eggs to this current outbreak,” Young said.

Mark Williams, chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council, said British eggs were safe to eat when runny, including for vulnerable people, and were widely available in restaurants and cafés.

“Customers who want to enjoy a runny egg should simply ask whether British Lion eggs are being used,” he said.

More than 200 cases in the UK have been linked to the outbreak, with the majority across England.

Genetic testing suggests the infections are part of the same outbreak and show similarities with previous outbreaks involving imported eggs.

Investigations into individual cases also suggest the eateries involved were buying eggs from abroad.

Salmonella are a family of bacteria that typically live harmlessly in the digestive systems of animals including cattle, pigs and chickens, which is why eggs and poultry are among foods commonly associated with infection.

People can become infected by eating contaminated food that has not been properly cooked, through cross-contamination between raw and cooked food or by coming into contact with infected animals.

Symptoms can include stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever.

Most people recover without further treatment, but older people, babies and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk of severe illness.

Hospital treatment with fluids and, in some cases, antibiotics may be needed for severe infections.

People who are concerned are being advised to contact their GP or out-of-hours service in the first instance.