Scotland’s population is at an all-time high. On Census Day 2011, around 5,295,000 people were registered as living here — that’s a rise of 233,000 on the figures from ten years before. It’s the fastest growth rate recorded between two censuses in the last century.
The population is growing older
However, there are profound changes taking place. For the first time ever, there are more people over-65 than under 15. The number of “senior citizens” rose by 85,000 over the decade to an estimated 890,000 or around 17% of the population. By contrast, children aged under 15 now number 854,000 or 16% of the population.
This has been an ongoing trend. One hundred years ago, the Census recorded 1,537,000 children aged under 15 or 32% of the population. Apart from a couple of blips caused by the “baby boom” generation, the number of under-15s has been steadily falling until it’s now just half of what it was in 1911. However, in 2011 there were 293,000 children aged under five, an increase of 6% from 2001.
Travel up to the Western Isles or the Far North of Scotland and you enter one of Europe’s least populated areas — just nine people per square kilometre live there. Indeed, the average population density across the country is very low; but there are huge variations across the country with Glasgow having 3,395/sq.km.
Northern Scotland
One of the least populated parts of Europe
Across a number of Census reports, there’s been evidence of a growing gender gap. The latest figures confirm the trend with 159,320 more women in Scotland than men. And this is especially marked in the older age groups. As the report points out, “Among older people, particularly those aged over 75, the higher number of females reflects the longer expectation of life for women, partly as a result of higher rates of male mortality during the Second World War.”
It goes on to point out that there were two “baby boom” ears, one immediately after the war in the late 1940s and the second in the 60s. This has led to a “sharp peak” in the number of people aged around 65 and a second of those aged between 40 and 50. The report goes on toward that this, “…along with relatively low fertility rates since the 1960s, are the main reasons why Scotland’s population is likely to age in the future.”
Fiona Hyslop MSP
Fiona Hyslop, Scotland’s External Affairs Secretary, said the population growth was “in the right direction”. Economists have pointed out that Scotland’s population needs to grow by 24,000 people a year just to keep pace with other European economies. As Ms Hyslop explained, “The Scottish Government has set a target to match average European population growth over the period 2007 to 2017. Today’s figures show that we continue in the right direction. While, like almost every mature economy, we have an ageing population, it is excellent to see the under-fives population has increased.”
She went on the welcome the fact that more people had come to Scotland than had left over the last decade, suggesting that this was “…proof that Scotland is an attractive and dynamic nation and one where people want to make a life for themselves. The Scottish government welcomes the contribution these new Scots can make to our economy and society, and we are working hard to attract the best international talent to our universities and our workforce.”
However, the Scottish Conservative Party expressed concern that the population growth had slowed down. They pointed out that, in the 12 months to June last year, it was the lowest in almost a decade. As Finance spokesman, Gavin Brown, stressed, “A country like ours needs people, particularly young people, to come in to work and increase the tax base – that is absolutely essential for the economy. “It could just be a one-year blip, but the minister in charge at the Scottish government needs to find out why this is and what can be done, and explain as quickly as possible what the solution will be.”