After being inspired by [Amy Canavan's article](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cq83ldj2y97o) on how things have changed since Scotland were last in the World Cup in 1998, I tracked down the number of births registered in Scotland since July 1998 using [data from the National Records of Scotland](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/monthly-births-scotland/). The results were surprising: **1,479,173 births were registered in Scotland between July 1998 and April 2026.** This represents around a quarter of Scotland's current population (est. 5.5 million). These 1.5 million Scots, who were not alive in 1998, will be seeing Scotland at the World Cup for the first time: this is something special! This is quite something - in every pub, watch party, or gaff, it is likely that at least 1 in 4 will have been born post-France '98. That is extraordinary! (FYI, Good Morning Britain: That is why Scotland deserves the Bank Holiday!)
