Migration - Meeting Scotland's Needs

Scotland’s Population and the Demographic Challenge

6. Scotland’s history of migration is different to that of much of the rest of the UK. The dominant migration story through much of Scotland’s history has been a story of outward migration, of people leaving Scotland to build their future elsewhere. Whilst England and Wales saw strong in-migration throughout much of the twentieth century, Scotland experienced population decline. It is only since 2001 that Scotland has been in a period of sustained net in-migration.

Recent Population Change

7. Scotland’s population has been growing in recent years, reaching a record high of 5.49 million in mid-2023. This is because more people have moved into Scotland than have left and is despite deaths outnumbering births each year since 2014-15.