New statistics from the National Records of Scotland show that
Scotland's population is projected to grow to 5.8 million people
by the middle of 2047.
The projections show that, without migration, Scotland's
population would fall as deaths are projected to continue to
outnumber births.
Welcoming the report, Equalities Minister said:
“These projections suggest that Scotland will continue to be an
attractive country for people to live, work, study and settle in.
We welcome people from around the world and other parts of the UK
who want to build their lives here.
“While our population is projected to continue aging, all
projected growth will come from inward migration. This shows just
how crucial migrants are to ensuring Scotland has a greater
proportion of people of working age to fill skills gaps, sustain
public services, contribute to communities, and grow the economy.
“To enable us to address our demographic challenges, migration
policies must be tailored to Scotland's distinct needs. We will
continue to press the UK Government on introducing a Scottish
Graduate visa to help us retain capable people from around the
world, and to work with us on a Rural Visa Pilot tailored to the
needs of our rural and island communities.
“Within our devolved powers, we are supporting communities to
retain and attract people as far as possible. We have launched
Scotland's Migration Service to help individuals and businesses
navigate the immigration system, while our Addressing
Depopulation Action Plan is supporting local action to help
communities facing population decline.”
Background
Scottish Graduate Visa proposed
- gov.scot
Rural visa pilot proposal:
September 2022 - gov.scot
Scotland's Migration Service
Addressing Depopulation Action
Plan
Migration - Meeting Scotland's
Needs - gov.scot
