Scotland's population has grown at the lowest rate of any UK nation and is ageing at the fastest rate on record, according to the first data from last year's census. National Records of Scotland (NRS) estimated the total population at 5,436,600 last year, an increase of 141,220 (2.7%) driven entirely by inward migration. Without migration, the population would have fallen by 49,800 since 2011 as deaths outnumbered births.
In comparison, population rose by 6.3% in England and Wales and by 5.1% in Northern Ireland. The data, produced after Scotland's census drive was hit by high abstention rates, showed the country's population is older than before, partly due to the post-war baby boom. The number of people aged over 65 reached 1,091,000, with a significant proportion living in remote rural areas, often alone.
In Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway, South Ayrshire, the Western Isles and the Borders, older people made up more than 26% of residents, compared to 14% in Glasgow and 16% in Edinburgh. The Scottish government delayed the census by a year to 2022 due to Covid, while the rest of the UK stuck with 2021. The response rate in Scotland was 89.8%, lower than the 97% in England and Wales, leading to a £140 million total bill.
Janet Egdell, NRS chief executive, acknowledged the low response rate as an “important question” to be evaluated. The Scottish Conservatives blamed higher income tax rates and public service failures for the low population growth, while Angus Robertson, the Scottish constitution secretary, said Brexit made it harder to attract European migrants.
