THE number of Scots receiving congratulatory messages sent by the Queen on reaching their 100th birthday has almost doubled in the past ten years.
New figures show that there are now 900 centenarians living in Scotland, 67 per cent from the estimate of 540 in 2005.
Campaigners for the elderly have welcomed the news that more people are living for longer, but have warned that the increasing numbers of people needing care and support in their elder years will inevitably put pressure on services.
Figures produced by the National Records of Scotland found that the overwhelming majority of centenarians are women, making up almost one in ten of those living in Scotland, while 120 men had reached the milestone.
The fact that it is women who live longer is also noticeable in the population aged between 90 and 99, with seven out of every ten people in their 90s female.
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.”
Since 2005, the number of centenarians relative to the rest of the population has increased to 1.7 centenarians for every 10,000 people in the total population in 2015.
The number of men aged 90 to 99 increased from 6,360 to 11,300 between 2005 and 2015, an increase of 78 per cent. The number of females aged 90 to 99 increased from 21,630 to 27,590 during the same period, an increase of 28 per cent.
A spokesman for the elderly rights charity Age Scotland 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.
"Age Scotland has recently launched a campaign called Let’s Get Moving! to mark International Older People’s Day. We hope that if older people are keeping active, which can be as simple as a 30 minute walk five times a week, then they will be better able to love later life.”
Jane Ashcroft CBE, chief executive of Anchor, a charity and care home provider, said people should "celebrate that we're living longer".
She added: "Every day I see first-hand that old age is a time for living and our residents are a constant source of inspiration for us, living life to the fullest no matter their age.
"We just need to make sure that we listen and take care of this important and growing section of society."
The figures found that the City of Edinburgh had the highest absolute number of centenarians, while the Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands had the lowest.
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