previous | contents | next

Scotland's Population 2001: The Registrar General's Annual Review of Demographic Trends

INTRODUCTION

My aim in this report is to highlight recent demographic trends and foster an informed

public debate on the important issues affecting the future of Scotland’s population. While this is the 147th Annual Report produced by the Registrar General since the General Register Office for Scotland was established in the mid-nineteenth century, and is laid before the Scottish Parliament under statute, the format of the report is radically different from that of its predecessors. The detailed statistical tables which comprised the bulk of previous reports are available as a supplement to this report on our website (www.nrscotland.gov.uk). This report is much shorter, containing text and charts designed to bring out key trends and issues more clearly for a wider audience.

Now is an appropriate time to make this change. We are in the first years of the new Scottish Parliament and at the start of a new millennium. The first results from the 2001 Census were published last month, and there is growing public interest and debate focusing on the important demographic issues facing modern Scotland. I hope this new report will provide an informed basis for this debate, and for the taking of decisions affecting the future of Scotland.

I should enter a couple of caveats:

The main chapters of this report deal with changes in Scotland’s population size and structure; and then with each of the components of population change: births, deaths, and migration. There is also a chapter on marriages, divorces and adoptions. The aim throughout is to place recent trends in Scotland in a wider historical and geographical context. An overview of key facts in the report as a whole is given at the start. A small number of more detailed summary tables are given in Appendix 1.

I hope you will find the report useful. There are indications that some of the historic trends which have affected demographic change in Scotland for many decades may now be changing. For example, net emigration from Scotland in recent years has been much lower than in the 1960s or even the 1980s; while a declining birth rate (so that deaths now exceed births) is now a major factor in explaining why Scotland’s population has declined. It is important that policy makers are aware of the most recent trends, and take decisions on the wide range of policies which are affected by demographic change on an informed basis.

Finally, we would welcome comments on the format of this report. In future years we plan that the Annual Report, while retaining the new format, should concentrate on particular demographic themes (for example, fertility trends), and perhaps include articles written by outside experts. The contact point for sending comments is given at the end. We will consider all views in the planning of future reports.

JOHN RANDALL
Registrar General for Scotland
October 2002

previous | contents | next