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Mid-2006 Population Estimates Scotland

3. The Age and Sex Structure of the Population

3.1 The age and sex composition is one of the most important aspects of the population, as changes in different age groups will have different social and economic impacts. For example, increases in the elderly population are likely to place a greater demand on health and social services. Scotland’s estimated population is shown by age and sex in Figure 3.

Figure 3 Estimated population by age and sex, 30 June 2006

Figure 3 Estimated population by age and sex, 30 June 2006

3.2 Among older people, particularly over 75, the higher number of females reflects the longer expectation of life for women, partly as a result of higher rates of male mortality during the Second World War. The effects of a flu epidemic in 1922 and lower levels of fertility during the First World War are also evident, as seen in the sharp decline in the population aged over 85. The two baby booms of 1947 and the 1960s can also be seen with a sharp peak at age 59 and another peak between the ages of 35 and 45. These baby boomers and low fertility rates are the main reasons Scotland’s population is likely to age in the future, though the scale of ageing is open to debate.

3.3 The changing age structure of the population since 1996 is illustrated in Figure 4. The ageing of the population is evident in the rises in the older age groups (14 per cent in the 45-59 age group, 4 per cent in the 60-74 age group and 13 per cent in the 75 and over age group) and the falls in the younger age groups (10 per cent in the under 16 age group, 7 per cent in the 16-29 age group and 2 per cent in the 30-44 age group).

Figure 4 The changing age structure of Scotland's population, 1996-2006

Figure 4 The changing age structure of Scotland's population, 1996-2006

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