More people than ever reaching 100 in Scotland

The number of people to reach the age of 100 has almost doubled in the last decade in Scotland.

Maisie Killoran who celebrated her 100th birthday this month. More Scots are reaching the age of 100.

Data shows that there are now 900 centurions living in Scotland in comparison to the 540 in 2005, a rise of 67 percent.

The vast majority of those reaching the age of 100 were females with just 120 men reaching the milestone.

Since 2005, there are 1.7 centenarians for every 10,000 people in the total population in 2015.

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Tim Ellis, the Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland, said: “When the current population of centenarians in Scotland was born, during or before the First World War, living to 100 years old was very uncommon.

“However, this has changed since the beginning of the 21st century when estimates showed there were around 500 people aged 100 years old and over in Scotland.

“These latest figures from National Records of Scotland show that the number of centenarians has increased by more than two thirds in the last ten years.”

A spokesperson for Age Scotland, a charity working to support the elderly said: “The rise in the number of centenarians once again is an expected consequence of the fact that we are all living longer.

“What’s important is that we as a society are investing in people to ensure that not only are we living longer, but also that we are enjoying a greater quality of later life.