How pandemic put the brakes on population
THE Covid crisis has led to a slowing of Scotland’s population growth.
The number of people living here grew by only 0.05 per cent in the year to June 2020, the slowest rate since 2003.
This was mainly due to higher numbers of deaths and lower net migration, National Records of Scotland (NRS) said.
The country’s population was estimated at just under 5.5million as of June 30 last year.
There were an estimated 63,100 deaths and 48,700 births in the previous 12 months. This equates to about 14,400 more deaths than births, the largest ‘natural decrease’ on record.
A natural decrease is the number of births minus the number of deaths.
Looking at natural population changes is a way of measuring population growth, not taking into account migration.
Population change varied around Scotland, and the 12 council areas which saw overall population growth were in or close to the Central Belt.
Global travel restrictions meant fewer people entered or left Scotland permanently.
Esther Roughsedge, head of population and migration statistics at NRS, said: ‘In the year to June 2020, Scotland’s population only increased very slightly, by 2,700 people, and is now estimated to be 5.47million as of June 2020.
‘A key reason for this small increase is the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the last year we have seen a 4 per cent reduction in births and a 12 per cent increase in deaths.
‘Also, the difference between the number of people coming to Scotland and those leaving is smaller than in any of the previous six years.’
A separate report from NRS, also released yesterday, found the number of households in Scotland increased to 2.51million in 2020. Over the past ten years the number of households has grown by 142,800. More than a third are occupied by a single person, and an estimated 900,000 people are living alone.
The increased number of households is partly due to an increase in the population, but also because people are increasingly living alone or with fewer others. Households of one person have been the most common type in Scotland since 2010.
Age Scotland chief executive Brian Sloan said: ‘Today’s figures highlight the need for Scotland to be better prepared to meet the health, social care and housing needs of an ageing population in order to ensure everyone can enjoy a dignified standard of living in later life.’