FEWER babies are being born to local parents, latest figures reveal...with economic uncertainty highlighted as one of the factors behind the drop in new arrivals.

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) has released provisional statistics which show a combined total of 639 children were born in Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire between October and December last year.

This is a drop of 72 compared to the total for the same quarter of 2008.

In Renfrewshire, 414 births were recorded over the last three months of 2018, with a further 225 taking place in East Renfrewshire.

The figures reflect a national trend that has seen births in Scotland hit their lowest levels since records began in 1855.

There were 12,580 babies born across the country between October and December 2018, giving a rate of 9.2 births per 1,000 people.

This is a 1.8% drop on the same period for 2017.

Experts at NRS have said there is no single reason for the dwindling number of births but possible causes could include women waiting to have children later in life, as well as economic uncertainty sparked by the 2008 financial crash.

Paul Lowe, Registrar General for Scotland, said: “Continuing the downward trend since 2008, births for the fourth quarter of 2018 has been at its lowest number recorded since civil registration began.

“This is the second record-low number of quarterly births in a row, with quarter three also falling to its lowest level in 2018.

“The number of deaths fell compared to the recent peak recorded in the fourth quarter of 2017 but was slightly higher than the average of the previous five years.

Green MSP Ross Greer, who represents both Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire as part of his West Scotland remit, said the latest birth rate figures demonstrate the importance of immigration to local communities.

He added that the health service is “kept running in large part by immigration.”