Scotland’s
population had been in long term decline until immigration from newly admitted
EU states reversed the trend in the mid 2000s. Since 2000, the population has grown at an average annual rate of
about 0.4%. The UK’s growth rate for this time was 0.7%.
Those aged 65 and
over have increased in number by 33% between 1981 and 2015. This is
not simply due to increased life expectancy but is mainly
explained by the so-called post-war baby boomers entering this age
group. The decline in numbers of children has slowed in recent years
and 2015 saw its first increase in many decades. This is possibly
related to the recent increase in immigration. Overall though, the
number of under 16s has decreased by 23% between 1981 and 2015.
It seems likely that
future years will continue to see a rising elderly population and
that will place a greater demand on the NHS and social care. Also a rise in the number of children will need to be factored
into planning for schools.
The birth rate spikes following both world wars and their implications for our current age distribution can be appreciated in this animation.
References
- Data is from the National Records of Scotland Population Pyramids publication.
- More information on the animated graph can be found in this blog post.
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