Gypsy/Travellers in Scotland - A Comprehensive Analysis of the 2011 Census

1. Population

In 2011 Gypsy/Travellers in Scotland, compared to the population as a whole, were younger.

The following analysis shows some key demographic information on the size, structure and location of the Gypsy/Traveller population in Scotland. Gypsy/Travellers were more likely to be younger than the population as a whole.

Just over 4,000 people in Scotland identified in the census that their ethnic group was ‘White: Gypsy/Traveller’ and this represented 0.1 per cent of the population. Statistics from the ONS revealed that a similar proportion of the population in England and Wales identified as ‘White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller’.

Figure 1.1 and 1.2

The population pyramids shown in Figure 1.1 and 1.2 illustrate that the age profile of Gypsy/Travellers was much younger than the population as a whole. Only 28 per cent of Gypsy/Travellers were aged 45 or over compared to 44 per cent of the population as a whole, and only 4 per cent were aged 70 or over compared to 12 per cent of the population as a whole. Forty nine per cent of Gypsy/Travellers were male and 51 per cent were female.

It should be noted that some organisations working with Gypsy/Travellers in Scotland estimate that the population figure is much higher.^[5]

Chart 1: Gypsy/Travellers by council area, Scotland, 2011

Chart 1 shows that the council areas with the most Gypsy/Travellers resident on census day were Perth & Kinross, Glasgow City and the City of Edinburgh. The lowest numbers were resident in the island councils and in Inverclyde^[6]. Two councils accommodated more than 400 Gypsy/Travellers whereas seven councils contained fewer than 50.

Respondents were classified as living in an area that was either urban or rural, according to the Scottish Government’s 8-fold classification^[7].

Chart 2: Gypsy/Travellers by Urban Rural Classification, Scotland, 2011

The urban /rural profile of Gypsy/Travellers was fairly similar to the population as a whole - slightly fewer lived in urban areas and slightly more in rural. Thirty five per cent of Gypsy/Travellers lived in large urban areas compared to 40 per cent of the whole population. Twenty one per cent of Gypsy/Travellers lived in rural areas compared to 17 per cent of the whole population.