Census shows migration sustaining Scots population
New statistics show migrants are sustaining the Scottish population, as thousands more are dying than are giving birth.
The National Records of Scotland has released the first set of data from the 2022 census, which shows there were more than 4,000 fewer births than there were deaths between census day on 20 March and the end of June.
This means the population“naturally” decreased by around 4,200 people.
However the migration population increased in this period of time by 11,900, which helped to sustain the population size in Scotland.
The census research found that as of mid-2022, there were 5,447,000 people in Scotland.
Of these, 51.4 per cent were female ,20 percent were over the age of 65, and 16 per cent were under the age of 16. It also found there were only 12,900 births compared to 17,100 deaths.
However when it comes to migration, the census found 25,800 people had moved to Scotland.
This includes 14,300 international immigrants and 11,600 from the rest of the UK.
At the same time 13,900 people left Scotland, including 4,900 internationally and 9,000 to the rest of the UK.
The biggest population centres are of no surprise - Glasgow and Edinburgh came out on top here, with the three island local authorities (Western isles, orkney and Shetland) having the smallest populations.
Almost all areas had more older people over the age of 65 living there than children under the age of 16 - the only places which don’t are Glasgow and West Lothian. All four UK nations now have a median age in the40s, with scotlandrecording the oldest, at 43.0 years, followed by Wales (42.9), England (40.5) and Northern Ireland (40.0).
Migration Minister Emma Roddick, inset, said: “Tackling population challenges is a priority for this government. Scotland needs a migration policy that helps to increase our working population to meet the needs of the economy, public services and local communities.
“While deciding whether or not to have a child is rightly a matter for individuals and couples, our national Population Strategy sets out our focus on identifying and addressing barriers to people starting or expanding families, if they wish to do so. we also want to encouragefamilies and people of working age to come to Scotland and build their lives here, which is one reason why immigration policy should come under the am bit of the scottish parliament so that we can develop the right framework for Scotland.
“Evidence shows those who choose Scotland as their home help to grow our economy, increase our productivity and innovation and address skills shortages. However, migration is not the sole solution to widespreadlabour shortage sand we are working with businesses to promote access to upskilling and retraining opportunities in the hardest hit sectors.”