Scotland Celebrates Increase in Births

The Registrar General of Scotland reports that the nation registered 27,000 births in 2007, the highest number in a decade. The number of marriages dropped to 29,866, the fifth lowest number since Victorian times. Divorces also fell, though this was not surprising following the sharp increase in 2006 following the enactment of the Family Law (Scotland) Act, which greatly reduced separation periods for divorce.