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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Question reference: S6W-30507

  • Date lodged: 8 October 2024
  • Current status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 29 October 2024

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Office of National Statistics mid-year population estimates for the UK and its constituent countries for mid-2023, which shows that Scotland experienced a natural population decline of 19,100 between 2022 and 2023.


Answer

Scottish Government welcomes the mid-year 2023 population estimates, which show inward migration driving the biggest single-year increase in Scotland’s population since the 1940s. Scotland continues to be an attractive and welcoming country which people from across the UK and internationally are choosing to call home.

With deaths continuing to outnumber births, these statistics underline the importance of delivering our Population Strategy’s ambition to make Scotland as family friendly as possible, and for collaboration between the Scottish and UK Governments to deliver tailored migration approaches which meet Scotland’s needs, including our Rural Visa Pilot proposal.