4.1 Population Change 2007-2008
4.1.1 Population estimates for each Council and NHS Board area, together with details of the components of population change (births, deaths, net migration and other changes) for the period mid-2007 to mid-2008, are shown in Table 2, Table 3 and Table 4.
4.1.2 Among Council areas, East Lothian had the largest percentage population increase at +1.8 per cent followed by Perth & Kinross (+1.4 per cent), Midlothian (+1.3 per cent) and Clackmannanshire (+1.2 per cent). Seven councils experienced a decrease in population although the decreases were mainly very small. These were Argyll & Bute (-0.9 per cent), Eilean Siar and Inverclyde (both -0.4 per cent), West Dunbartonshire (-0.2 per cent), East Dunbartonshire (-0.1 per cent) and East Renfrewshire and South Ayrshire (where the population fell by less than 0.1 per cent).
4.1.3 Of NHS Board areas, Lothian (+1.0 per cent), Borders (+0.9 per cent) and Grampian (+0.8 per cent) had the largest percentage population increases. The only NHS Board area to have experienced a decline in population was Western Isles (-0.4 per cent).
4.2 Components of migration 2007-2008
4.2.1 For most areas, the main cause of population change in the year to mid-2008 was migration. Table 5 shows, for this period, migration flows to and from each Council and NHS Board area for people moving within Scotland (i.e. between one Council area and another or between one NHS Board area and another), people moving between Scotland and the rest of the UK and people moving between Scotland and overseas. In Table 5 and in Figure 5a and Figure 5b, movements to and from the armed forces are included in the rest of UK figures.
In- and out-migration
4.2.2 As Figure 5a shows, different Councils attract migrants from different areas. In some Council areas (such as East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Midlothian and South Lanarkshire) most of the migrants came from other Council areas within Scotland. For example, of the 3,298 people estimated to have arrived in East Renfrewshire, 2,855 (87 per cent) were from elsewhere in Scotland, 333 (10 per cent) from the rest of the UK and 110 (3 per cent) were from overseas.
4.2.3 In other areas (such as Dumfries & Galloway, Shetland, Moray and Highland) more than half of the migrants entering the area came from outside Scotland with most of these coming from the rest of the UK. In some cases this will be partly due to movements to and from the armed forces.
4.2.4 In the city authorities, particularly City of Edinburgh, Glasgow City and Aberdeen City, the pattern was again for high proportions of migrants to come from outside Scotland. In Aberdeen City and Glasgow City most of these were from overseas whilst in City of Edinburgh just over half were from the rest of the UK.
4.2.5 As Figure 5b shows, there are also differences in the destinations of people migrating out of Council areas. Often the area to which most out-migrants moved was the same area from which most in-migrants had arrived. For example most of the migrants leaving East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire and Midlothian moved elsewhere in Scotland and, as described above, most of the migrants arriving in these Council areas came from elsewhere in Scotland.
Net migration
4.2.8 As Table 5 shows, as a result of these different patterns of both in- and out-migration, some councils experienced net gains from one region but net losses to another whilst others experienced gains from all areas.
4.2.9 In some Council areas (such as Aberdeenshire, East Lothian, Highland, Perth & Kinross and West Lothian) more people arrived from each of the regions (within Scotland, the rest of the UK and overseas) than left. Even amongst these councils there were different patterns, with Aberdeenshire and East Lothian mostly gaining from within Scotland, Highland and West Lothian from the rest of the UK and Perth & Kinross from overseas.
4.2.10 Other Council areas (such as East, North and South Ayrshire) had net gains from other areas within Scotland and from the rest of the UK but lost more than they gained from overseas.
4.2.11 The city authorities lost migrants to other areas of Scotland but gained from the rest of the UK and, in particular, overseas. For example, there was a net gain of over 850 migrants in Aberdeen City - comprising a net loss of over 1,700 people to the rest of Scotland and net gains of over 300 people from the rest of the UK and of more than 2,200 people from overseas.
Figure 5a Origin of in-migrants by Council areas, 2007—2008, (ranked by increasing percentage of migrants from within Scotland)
Figure 5b Destination of out-migrants by Council areas, 2007—2008 (ranked by increasing percentage of migrants to within Scotland)
4.3 Population Change 1998-2008
4.3.1 Details of population changes in administrative areas between 1998 and 2008 are shown in Table 7. These changes are illustrated for Council areas in the map at Figure 6a and the chart at Figure 6b which both show the percentage change in the population of Council areas between 1998 and 2008.
Figure 6a Percentage change in population, Council areas, 1998-2008 (Map)
Figure 6b Percentage change in population, Council areas, 1998-2008 (Chart)
4.3.2 Between 1998 and 2008, the Council areas with the largest percentage population growth were West Lothian (+10.6 per cent), East Lothian (+8.8 per cent), Perth & Kinross (+7.1 per cent) and Aberdeenshire (+6.7 per cent). The largest absolute increase in numbers was in the City of Edinburgh (+25,410). Inverclyde (-5.9 per cent), Eilean Siar (-4.9 per cent), Dundee City (-4.8 per cent) and West Dunbartonshire (-4.2 per cent) showed the greatest percentage decreases during this period. The largest absolute decrease in numbers was in Dundee City (-7,210).
4.3.3 The map at Figure 7a and the chart at Figure 7b show the percentage change in population between 1998 and 2008 for each NHS Board area. The largest percentage increases in population were in Lothian (+6.5 per cent), Borders (+6.0 per cent) and Forth Valley (+4.7 per cent). The greatest percentage decreases occurred in the Western Isles (-4.9 per cent) and Shetland (-3.2 per cent).
Figure 7a Percentage change in population, NHS Board areas, 1998-2008 (Map)
Figure 7b Percentage change in population, NHS Board areas, 1998-2008 (Chart)
4.4 Sex and Age Structure of Administrative Areas in Scotland
4.4.1 There were more women than men in Scotland in mid-2008 and this is the case for all Council areas other than Moray and Shetland Islands and for all NHS Board areas other than Shetland. Table 8 shows the "sex ratio" for each Council and NHS Board area in Scotland. The sex ratio is the male population divided by the female population (e.g. a sex ratio of 0.95 means that for every 100 females there are 95 males). The sex ratio ranged from 0.90 in Dundee City, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire to 1.02 in Moray and Shetland Islands. For the NHS Board areas, the sex ratio ranged from 0.92 in Ayrshire & Arran and Greater Glasgow & Clyde to 1.02 in Shetland.
4.4.2 Though the pattern of age distribution is complex, some general themes can be seen from Table 8. The major cities had the highest proportions of men and women of working age1. For example, in Edinburgh City 72 per cent of men and 65 per cent of women were of working age and in Glasgow City there were similar results (71 per cent of men and 63 per cent of women). The highest proportions of people of pensionable age2 tended to be in rural areas such as Dumfries & Galloway (20 per cent of men and 31 per cent of women) and Argyll & Bute (18 per cent of men and 31 per cent of women).
4.4.3 These patterns can also be seen in Figure 8 and Figure 9 which show the proportion of the population aged under 16, 16-64, and 65 and over for Council and NHS Board areas respectively (sorted by proportion of population aged 65 and over).
Figure 8 Age structure of Council areas, 30 June 2008 (% under 16, 16-64 and 65+), (ranked by percentage aged 65+)
Figure 9 Age structure of NHS Board areas, 30 June 2008 (% under 16, 16-64 and 65+), (ranked by percentage aged 65+)
