Two-fifths of Scots have signed up to donate their organs in the event of their death.

While a third of people across the UK are on the NHS Organ Donor Register, in Scotland 2.2 million are registered - 41% of the population.

Public Health Minister Maureen Watt welcomed the "strong" support for organ donation, as a new survey suggested 56% of people in Edinburgh are on the register, while almost two-thirds of people in the capital say they would like to donate their organs after their death.

Edinburgh has the highest support for organ donation in the UK, according to the research which was carried out for National Transplant Week.

More than 2,000 people across the UK were questioned by Populus, with 65% of people in Edinburgh and 54% of those in Glasgow saying they would like their organs to be used to help another person.

Scotland also has the highest proportion of people who believe it is important to be an organ donor "because it's the right thing to do", with 67% agreeing with this.

Ms Watt welcomed the findings as she visited the transplant unit at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE), where surgeons perform more than 100 kidney transplants a year and almost the same number of liver transplants.

She said: "We know that support for organ donation in Scotland is strong. We consistently have the highest percentage of people across the UK signed up to the Organ Donor Register and since 2008 we have seen an 82% increase in the number of people donating their organs after death.

"However, less than 1% of deaths in Scotland occur in circumstances where the person is able to donate their organs, so the more people that register the more likely someone will be able to get the life-changing transplant they are desperately waiting for."

Some two-thirds (67%) of Scots said they have not told their loved one about their decision to donate their organs in the last year, although 98% said they find talking about the issue easy.

Professor John Forsythe, the lead clinician for organ donation and transplantation in Scotland and clinical director of the transplant unit at the RIE, said: "Signing up to the Organ Donor Register is easy and one donor has the potential to save or transform many lives.

"Letting your family and friends know you would like to be an organ donor is really important too, so we would encourage everyone to discuss their donation wishes with loved ones and think about signing up to the Organ Donor Register to save lives."