What is known: • Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of childhood hospitalisation.

What is new: • This 12-year study is the first to estimate the burden of RSV hospitalisation (RSVH) in Scotland and included all live births from 2000 to 2011 and followed > 600,000 children until 2 years old. • The overall RSVH rate was 27.2/1000 children, with 2.1% being hospitalised ≥ 1 times. • RSVHs accounted for 6.2% of all inpatient bed days, which rose to 14.2% during the peak months of the RSV season (December–January), equating to over 1400 hospitalisations and nearly 5500 bed days each year.