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Scotland’s Population Rising Despite Financial Climate

Scotland’s population continued to rise in the year ending 30 June 2009 to a total of 5,194,000 - an increase of around 25,000, or half a per cent, over the previous year.

Speaking about the publication of Scotland’s Population 2009 – the Registrar General’s Annual Review of Demographic Trends, Registrar General for Scotland Duncan Macniven said:

“There is little, if any, evidence that the recent recession has affected Scotland’s total population. There were just under 1,000 fewer births in 2009 than in 2008 – but there were still 1,200 more births in 2009 than in 2007. The steady decline in the number of deaths continued. Almost 22,000 more people moved to Scotland than left the country in the year ending June 2009, slightly more than in the previous year. This was the third-highest movement of people into Scotland since current records began 60 years ago.

“So, despite the challenging financial climate, people are finding Scotland an attractive place to live and raise children. 

“But there is another side to the story. While the number of deaths has continued to fall and life expectancy has increased in every local authority area, the life expectancy of men and women in Scotland is still lower than the life expectancy of people in the rest of the UK and the European Union (except the East European member states). And there are major inequalities of life expectancy within Scotland. For the average man in North and East Glasgow, life expectancy is 8 years shorter than the average in neighbouring East Dunbartonshire. For women, the difference is around 6 years.”

Key points in the publication include:

Population

Scotland’s population rose to 5.19 million in 2009 – an eighth consecutive annual increase, mainly due to more people moving to Scotland than leaving.

Current projections suggest Scotland’s population will rise to 5.54 million by 2033 and the number of people aged 60 and over will increase by 50 per cent, from 1.17 million to 1.75 million.

In the 10 years from 1999 to 2009, the council areas which had the highest population increases and reductions were:

• West Lothian – up 10 per cent
• East Lothian – up 9 per cent
• Perth and Kinross – up 8 per cent
• Inverclyde – down 6 per cent
• Eilean Siar, East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire – down 4 per cent.

Migration

In the year to 30 June 2009:

• 45,400 people came to Scotland from the rest of the UK
• 41,300 people left Scotland for other parts of the UK

This increased the population by around 4,100 people.

In the year to 30 June 2009:

• 42,700 people came to Scotland from overseas
• 25,200 people left Scotland to go overseas

This increased the population by around 17,500 people – a record high.

Births

There were 59,046 births registered in Scotland in 2009 - 995 (two per cent) fewer births than in 2008. The number of births had increased in each of the previous six years.

86 per cent of mothers who gave birth in Scotland in 2009 were born in the UK, including 76 per cent who were born in Scotland. Six per cent of mothers were born in the European Union (EU), including 3.5 per cent from the countries which joined the EU in 2004 (such as Poland).

Deaths

There were 53,856 deaths registered in Scotland in 2009, the lowest number since 1855 (when civil registration started).

The main causes of deaths were:

• cancer, which caused 15,187 deaths (28 per cent of all deaths)
• ischaemic (coronary) heart disease, which caused 8,274 deaths (15 per cent of all deaths)
• respiratory system diseases (such as pneumonia), which caused 7,125 of deaths (13 per cent of all deaths)
• cerebrovascular disease (stroke), which caused 4,906 deaths (9 per cent of all deaths).

The percentage of deaths caused by coronary heart disease has fallen from 29 per cent in 1981 to 15 per cent in 2009, but the percentage of deaths caused by cancer has risen from 22 per cent to 28 per cent. 

Life expectancy

Life expectancy in Scotland has increased from 69.1 years for men and 75.4 years for women born around 1981, to 75.3 years for men and 80.1 years for women born around 2008.

Despite recent improvements, Scottish men and women have poor life expectancy compared to most of the EU – about four years lower for men, and almost five years lower for women, when compared to the countries where life expectancy is highest.

Marriages and civil partnerships

There were 27,254 marriages in Scotland in 2009. This includes 6,664 marriages (24 per cent) where neither the bride nor groom lived in Scotland, but does not include people living in Scotland who marry elsewhere.

Just over half of all marriages (52 per cent) were civil ceremonies, carried out by a registrar – compared to just under one-third (31 per cent) in 1971. Most religious marriages (6,143) were carried out by Church of Scotland ministers, with clergy from the Roman Catholic Church carrying out 1,788 marriages. Celebrants from the Humanist Society of Scotland, authorised to carry out marriages since 2005, officiated at 1,544 marriages.

In 2009 there were 498 civil partnerships – 219 male couples and 279 female couples. There were 10,371 divorces and 24 dissolutions of civil partnerships.