Scotland's population rising at fastest rate since 1940s

Scotland’s colonisation roseate faster than astatine immoderate clip since the 1940s successful the twelvemonth up to mid-2023, according to authoritative data.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) figures enactment the country’s colonisation astatine 5,490,100.

That was up 43,100 from the mediate of 2022.

It represented a 0.8% summation connected the erstwhile twelvemonth and was the biggest leap successful 1 twelvemonth since 1946-47.

The NRS said the main operator of colonisation maturation implicit the play was radical moving to Scotland from different parts of the UK and abroad.

The authorities agency's caput of demographic statistics, Esther Roughsedge, said: “Almost two-thirds of radical moving to Scotland came from extracurricular the UK. We besides saw a autumn successful the fig of radical leaving Scotland.

“Without migration into Scotland, the colonisation would person fallen."

She added: "Deaths outnumbered births by the highest magnitude connected record. There were 19,100 much deaths than births.”

Scotland’s colonisation is besides getting older - with much than a 5th of radical being aged 65 and over, portion 16% were 15 oregon under.

The populations of the larger cities person grown the astir betwixt mid-2022 and mid-2023, the NRS information shows.

City of Edinburgh grew by 1.7% oregon 8,680 people, Glasgow City by 1.6% oregon 9,920 radical and Aberdeen City by 1.6% oregon 3,500 people.

In contrast, the populations of a fig of agrarian and land assembly areas person fallen successful the twelvemonth to mid-2023.