In 2024, the population of Scotland was approximately 5.5 million, compared with 2000 when the population was just over five million. Between 1974 and 2000, the population of Scotland fell by 172,600, before growing at a relatively fast rate after 2000, and surpassing the 1974 population by 2010.

National and subnational mid-year population estimates for the UK and its constituent countries by administrative area, age and sex (including components of population change, median age and population density).

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the Scotland population over the last 20 plus years. It lists the population for each year, along with the year on year change in population, as well as the change in percentage terms for each year. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population change of Scotland across the last two decades. For example, using this dataset, we can identify if the population is declining or increasing. If there is a change, when the population peaked, or if it is still growing and has not reached its peak. We can also compare the trend with the overall trend of United States population over the same period of time.

Key observations

In 2023, the population of Scotland was 427, a 1.43% increase year-by-year from 2022. Previously, in 2022, Scotland population was 421, an increase of 0.96% compared to a population of 417 in 2021. Over the last 20 plus years, between 2000 and 2023, population of Scotland decreased by 2. In this period, the peak population was 504 in the year 2010. The numbers suggest that the population has already reached its peak and is showing a trend of decline. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP).

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP).

Data Coverage:

• From 2000 to 2023

Variables / Data Columns

• Year: This column displays the data year (Measured annually and for years 2000 to 2023)
• Population: The population for the specific year for the Scotland is shown in this column.
• Year on Year Change: This column displays the change in Scotland population for each year compared to the previous year.
• Change in Percent: This column displays the year on year change as a percentage. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Scotland Population by Year. You can refer the same here

In 2024, there were approximately 650,300 people living in Glasgow, with a further 530,680 people living in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, the first and second most-populated Scottish council areas respectively. The region of Fife is also heavily populated, with approximately 374,760 people living there. The least populated areas are the islands of Scotland such as Orkney, estimated to have only 22,020 people there.

Principal projection for Scotland - population by five-year age groups and sex.

United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Aged 75 to 84 data was reported at 326.155 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 323.264 Person th for 2016. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Aged 75 to 84 data is updated yearly, averaging 259.000 Person th from Jun 1971 (Median) to 2017, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 326.155 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 183.000 Person th in 1971. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Aged 75 to 84 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.G003: Population: Scotland.

Over time statistical outputs (and time series data) may be subject to revisions or corrections. Revisions are generally planned, and are the result of either improvements in statistical methods or the availability of additional data. For example, the annual mid-year population estimates are revised after a census to take account of the additional information gained from the census results. Details of planned revisions are held within the Metadata alongside each publication. Corrections are unplanned and occur when errors in either the statistical data or methodology are found after release of the data. The latest correction to these datasets was in September 2018, for more information please see the revisions and corrections page. This time series section provides access to the latest time series data, taking into account any revisions or corrections over the years. Note: Tables are mainly offered for the purposes of extracting figures. Due to the size of some of the sheets they are not recommended for printing.

This section provides annual mid-year population estimates for Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2020 areas in Scotland. The population estimates (2011 Data Zone based) are available for each year from 2011 onwards, broken down by single year of age, sex and SIMD decile. Migration flows for SIMD 2020 areas in Scotland are available broken down by total in, out and net migration and SIMD decile from 2001-02 onwards. Data zones are ranked from 1 (most deprived) to 6,976 (least deprived) according to the SIMD. Each SIMD decile contains 10 per cent of Scotland’s data zones. So, for example, decile one is made up of the 698 most deprived data zones in Scotland according to SIMD 2020. The figures are based on adding up data zone population estimates from the Small Area Population Estimates (SAPE). Levels of deprivation in an area change over time. The most deprived data zones in SIMD 2020 may not have been the most deprived data zones in, for example, 2011. These SIMD population estimates show how the populations in the SIMD 2020 deciles have changed over time. The SIMD presents a picture of multiple deprivation by identifying small area concentrations of multiple deprivation across all of Scotland in a consistent way. The approach used within the SIMD assumes that deprivation is not one dimensional but that there are a number of different aspects that all contribute. More information is available on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation section of the Scottish Government website. Maximum file size is 3.51 MB

Population estimates are based on the 2022 Census and were updated by taking account of births, deaths and migration up to30 June 2024.A quality assurance report for Scotland’s Census 2022 has been published in the Scotland’s Census website. Births and deaths are estimated using data from the civil registration system, which is considered to be virtually complete. Migration is more difficult to estimate because there is no comprehensive registration system in the UK, so the figures are estimated using the sources of data described. The estimated population of an area includes all those usually resident there, whatever their nationality. Students are treatedas being resident at their term-time address. Members of UK and non-UK armed forces stationed in Scotland are included inthe estimated population. UK forces stationed outside Scotland are excluded. Short-term international migrants are excluded.Population estimates for Scotland are comparable with population estimates from the rest of the UK and most countries around the world.

United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Male: Aged 75 to 84 data was reported at 140.645 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 138.716 Person th for 2016. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Male: Aged 75 to 84 data is updated yearly, averaging 91.000 Person th from Jun 1971 (Median) to 2017, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 140.645 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 60.000 Person th in 1971. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Male: Aged 75 to 84 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.G003: Population: Scotland.

The ‘Registrar General’s Annual Review of Demographic Trends’ (RGAR) brings together a range of NRS data to provide new insights and highlight key trends. This year’s RGAR highlights the extent of the mortality deprivation gap and other types of health inequality in Scotland. Mortality rates are about two times as high in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas. But for some specific causes of death, we see much larger inequalities. For example, people in the most deprived areas of Scotland are more than 15 times as likely to die from drug misuse than those in the least deprived areas. COVID-19 has accounted for 8% of all deaths during the pandemic so far (March 2020 to July 2022). There have also been excess deaths from some other causes, including cancer and heart disease. If past trends continue, we project that by 2045, Scotland will have a smaller and older population. For the first time in a number of years, we project Scotland's population to fall in the next decade (starting around 2029). Scotland is the only UK country with a projected fall by 2045. Scotland has seen big changes in the types of unions that are legally recognised. For example, in 2021 civil partnerships became available to mixed-sex couples. More than 4 in 5 civil partnerships in 2021 were of mixed-sex couples.

In 2024, the population of the United Kingdom reached 69.3 million, compared with 68.5 million in 2023. The UK population has more than doubled since 1871 when just under 31.5 million lived in the UK and has grown by around 10.4 million since the start of the twenty-first century. For most of the twentieth century, the UK population steadily increased, with two noticeable drops in population occurring during World War One (1914-1918) and in World War Two (1939-1945). Demographic trends in postwar Britain After World War Two, Britain and many other countries in the Western world experienced a 'baby boom,' with a postwar peak of 1.02 million live births in 1947. Although the number of births fell between 1948 and 1955, they increased again between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s, with more than one million people born in 1964. Since 1964, however, the UK birth rate has fallen from 18.8 births per 1,000 people to a low of just 10.2 in 2020. As a result, the UK population has gotten significantly older, with the country's median age increasing from 37.9 years in 2001 to 40.7 years in 2022. What are the most populated areas of the UK? The vast majority of people in the UK live in England, which had a population of 58.6 million people in 2024. By comparison, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland had populations of 5.5 million, 3.2 million, and 1.9 million, respectively. Within England, South East England had the largest population, at over 9.6 million, followed by the UK's vast capital city of London, at almost 9.1 million. London is far larger than any other UK city in terms of urban agglomeration, with just four other cities; Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Glasgow, boasting populations that exceed one million people.

Comprehensive demographic dataset for Scotland, MD, US including population statistics, household income, housing units, education levels, employment data, and transportation with year-over-year changes.

United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Female: Aged 1 to 4 data was reported at 140.223 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 112.892 Person th for 2016. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Female: Aged 1 to 4 data is updated yearly, averaging 124.000 Person th from Jun 1971 (Median) to 2017, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 174.000 Person th in 1971 and a record low of 103.000 Person th in 2005. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Female: Aged 1 to 4 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.G003: Population: Scotland.

United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Female: Aged 15 to 24 data was reported at 319.238 Person th in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 328.325 Person th for 2016. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Female: Aged 15 to 24 data is updated yearly, averaging 344.000 Person th from Jun 1971 (Median) to 2017, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 433.000 Person th in 1984 and a record low of 312.000 Person th in 1999. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Female: Aged 15 to 24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.G003: Population: Scotland.

United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Aged >60 Female & >65 Male data was reported at 1,012.567 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 998.852 Person th for 2016. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Aged >60 Female & >65 Male data is updated yearly, averaging 916.000 Person th from Jun 1971 (Median) to 2017, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,130.053 Person th in 2014 and a record low of 811.000 Person th in 1971. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Aged >60 Female & >65 Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.G003: Population: Scotland.

Scotland’s population was estimated to be 5,466,000 on 30 June 2020 (referred to as mid-2020). The population increased by 2,700 people (0.05%) in the year to mid-2020, the slowest growth since the year to mid-2003. The average growth in the 5 years to mid-2019 was around 23,000 people (0.43%). There were 63,100 deaths and 48,700 births in the year ending mid-2020. There were 14,500 more deaths than births, more deaths than births for the sixth year running and the largest natural decrease on record. There were 2,000 (4%) fewer births than the previous year, a decrease in line with trends seen in previous years. The number of deaths was 6,900 (12%) more than the previous year, which is a larger increase than previous years. Migration was the main driver of population growth, with 16,900 more people moving to Scotland than leaving in the year to mid-2020; +9,000 from the rest of the UK and +7,900 from overseas. This was lower than in recent years. Population change varies across Scotland. Around two thirds of council areas (20 out of 32) experienced population decline, with 12 areas seeing population growth in the last year. Areas facing the greatest population decline were mainly in the west of the country. Most council areas (25 out of 32) saw more people move to the area than leave in the year to mid-2020. Only one council area, Midlothian, had more births than deaths over the same period.

United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Male: Aged 60 to 64 data was reported at 159.938 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 156.406 Person th for 2016. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Male: Aged 60 to 64 data is updated yearly, averaging 127.000 Person th from Jun 1971 (Median) to 2017, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 165.000 Person th in 2011 and a record low of 111.000 Person th in 1979. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Male: Aged 60 to 64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.G003: Population: Scotland.

Scotland’s population was estimated to be 5,479,900 at mid-2021 (30 June 2021). The population increased by 13,900 people (0.25%) in the year to mid-2021. The average annual growth in the 5 years before the pandemic was higher than this, at around 23,100 people (0.43%). There have been more deaths than births for the last seven years. In the latest year, deaths outnumbered births by the largest amount on record. Migration was the main driver of population growth over the latest year. More people moved to Scotland than left, as has been the case for the last two decades. The pattern of population change was different to previous years. In the latest year, the population of the largest cities fell, which was a change from growth in previous years. The greatest population growth was in council areas around Edinburgh. In addition, many rural areas which had previously had falling populations saw an increase in population over the latest year.

United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Male: Aged 25 to 34 data was reported at 364.866 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 358.454 Person th for 2016. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Male: Aged 25 to 34 data is updated yearly, averaging 356.000 Person th from Jun 1971 (Median) to 2017, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 400.000 Person th in 1994 and a record low of 307.000 Person th in 1971. United Kingdom Population: Scotland: Male: Aged 25 to 34 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.G003: Population: Scotland.