Multiple Sclerosis: mortality

Data on mortality in Scotland by underlying cause are available from the National Records of Scotland in their Vital Events Reference Tables (see table 6.04). Chart 1 below shows deaths in Scotland where multiple sclerosis (MS) was recorded as the underlying cause of death.

Despite some fluctuations, mostly notable during 2020 during the out break of COVID-19, the number of recorded deaths due to MS has been on a general upward trend over the last 20 years. In each year the number of deaths among women was significantly higher than the number in men.

Please note: If you require the most up-to-date data available, please check the data sources directly as new data may have been published since these data pages were last updated. Although we endeavour to ensure that the data pages are kept up-to-date, there may be a time lag between new data being published and the relevant ScotPHO web pages being updated.