2015

Scotland’s population continues to rise and reached its highest ever total in 2014.

Statistics published today by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) show that the estimated population of Scotland was 5,347,600 in mid-2014.

The figures show a rise of 19,900 (0.4 per cent) people since mid-2013, as shown in the following infographic: 

The population increased because approximately 3,500 more people were born than died, and because in-migration which includes people from the rest of the UK exceeded out-migration by approximately 17,600 between mid-2013 and mid-2014. Other changes, such as in armed forces and prisoners, resulted in a loss of approximately 1,200 people. This is illustrated in the following infographic:

Between mid-2013 and mid-2014, approximately 49,240 people came to Scotland from the rest of the UK, and approximately 39,660 left Scotland to go in the opposite direction, giving a net migration gain of approximately 9,600.

Between mid-2013 and mid-2014, 33,200 people came to Scotland from overseas and 25,200 left Scotland to go overseas giving a net migration gain of 8,000, which represents about 1 in 700 (0.14 per cent) of the total population.

Other key facts:

Migrants to Scotland tended to be younger than the general population

• Over two thirds of migrants from overseas and nearly half of migrants from the rest of the UK were aged 16-34 years. In the population as a whole, only a quarter were in this age group.
• Only seven per cent of people coming to Scotland from the rest of the UK and one per cent of people entering from overseas were aged 65 and over. Scotland had a net gain of UK migrants in every age group and a net loss of international migrants for the majority of migrants aged over 45.

The average age of Scotland’s population was lower in the big city areas than in more rural Council areas

• The median age (the age at which half the population is older and half is younger) of the population in Scotland was 41.
• The median age was lower in big city areas (35 in Glasgow City and 36 in Aberdeen City and the City of Edinburgh) than in more rural Council areas (47 in Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway, Eilean Siar, Scottish Borders and South Ayrshire).

The population in 23 Council areas has increased while in nine Council areas the population has decreased

• Between mid-2013 and mid-2014, Midlothian had the largest percentage population increase at +1.8 per cent, followed by Aberdeenshire and Edinburgh City (+1.1 per cent) and East Renfrewshire (+1.0 per cent). Inverclyde had the largest percentage population decrease at -0.6 per cent, followed by Eilean Siar (-0.5 per cent) and Argyll & Bute (-0.4 per cent).
• The populations of Aberdeenshire and the City of Edinburgh increased because of more births than deaths and because of net in-migration. (The populations in Midlothian and East Renfrewshire increased primarily because of net in-migration). In contrast, the populations of Inverclyde, Eilean Siar and Argyll & Bute decreased because of more deaths than births and because of net out-migration.
• On average, in mid-2014 there were 69 people per square kilometre in Scotland, ranging from nine people per square kilometre in Eilean Siar and Highland to 3,433 people per square kilometre in Glasgow City Council area. 

The full publication Mid-2014 Population Estimates Scotland is available on this website.

An infographic supplement is available for this publication on this website.

The number of people registered to vote in elections in Scotland continues to rise, according to figures published today by National Records of Scotland. 

The registered electorates for local councils, the Scottish Parliament, the UK Parliament and the European Parliament have all seen increases.

With the exception of 2009, Scottish electorates have risen year on year since 2003, with an additional peak of over 4.28 million for the Independence Referendum, which also included 16 and 17 year old voters.

On 2 March, 2015:

• 4.13 million people were registered to vote in the local government and Scottish Parliament elections – an increase of 11,432 (0.3 per cent) compared to March 10, 2014, and is at the highest level ever recorded.
• 4.04 million people were registered to vote in UK Parliament elections – an increase of 8,207 (0.2 per cent);
• The number of EU citizens registered to vote in local government and Scottish Parliament elections dropped by 5,434 to 88,688 (5.8 per cent). This is likely to underestimate the total number of EU citizens resident in Scotland, since some may not register to vote. 

The deadline for registration to vote in the UK General Election is 20 April 2015.

The full publication Electoral Statistics – Scotland 2nd March 2015 is available on this website.

National Records of Scotland is one of the first three Scottish archives to attain UK Archives Accreditation. Archive Service Accreditation is a UK-wide quality standard that guages performance, recognises achievement and drives improvement within the archives sector. Falkirk archives and the Lothian Health Services Archive have also achieved accreditation.

The accreditation process has been created by archivists from across the UK to acknowledge organisations that provide a high level of service to users, meet collection preservation standards and demonstrate commitment to sustainable services and ongoing improvement. The Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs will present the certificates to the three Scottish institutions at a special event at General Register House on 24 March.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, said:

"Good archives are essential to understanding the rich history of this country. They also support our hugely successful Scottish family history sector and ensure knowledge is available to future generations. I warmly congratulate the three archives on their success and their outstanding work to keep Scotland's records safe for others. This government values culture and history and has strongly supported the archives and records sector, most notably in passing the Public Records (Scotland) Act, 2011."

Tim Ellis, Chief Executive, Registrar General and Keeper of the Records of Scotland, said:

"Archives Accreditation will be a major tool to drive improvements across Scottish archives, so I'm delighted to accept this award on behalf of National Records of Scotland. I'm also very pleased on behalf of our colleagues in Falkirk Archives and Lothian Health Services, and look forward to further successful Scottish applications in the coming years."

Dr Irene O'Brien, Chair of the Scottish Council on Archives, said:

"Opening up the unique assets that are archives requires a laser-like focus on how that is to be secured. Achieving archives accreditation is a robust measure for services that succeed both in meeting user need and ensuring efficient management of available resources. Accreditation of three services in Scotland marks out the path for others to follow".

The house of Dr Edward Pritchard, the infamous ‘Glasgow poisoner’, is one of more than 1.3 million entries in the Valuation Rolls for 1865 that have been released online by the National Records of Scotland. 

150 years ago a house at 131 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, was the scene of two notorious deaths. Archivists at the National Records of Scotland have uncovered a chilling entry in the 1865 valuation roll, which eerily describes the house as ‘empty’, with no occupiers.

In early 1865 two inhabitants met their deaths at the property which was owned by Dr Edward William Pritchard, the infamous ‘Glasgow poisoner’: his wife and his mother-in-law.  At the time the valuation roll was compiled both women had been murdered and Dr Pritchard himself was in prison awaiting trial. He was found guilty in the High Court of poisoning his victims, and became the last man to be hanged publicly in Glasgow. Read more on the ScotlandsPeople website.

Tim Ellis, Registrar General and Keeper of the Records of Scotland, said:

“The Valuation Rolls for 1865 provide a window into the lives of mid-Victorian Scots for anyone who wants to discover more about their ancestors or the history of local communities. The example  of Dr Pritchard reveals a small but telling detail in an infamous episode. The latest release is part of the commitment by the National Records of Scotland to provide access to the key records that researchers want.”

The entry for Dr Pritchard is just one of almost 140,000 indexed names and addresses for Glasgow in the 1865 valuation rolls. More than 1.3 million indexed names and addresses are going online, with entries for every owner, tenant and occupier of property in Scotland. The digitised rolls for 1865 are the eighth such addition to ScotlandsPeople in a resource that now spans sixty years from 1865 to 1925.

Provisional figures for births, deaths, adoptions, marriages and civil partnerships registered during 2014 are published today by the National Records of Scotland.

The statistics show that the number of marriages in 2014 rose by 1,500 compared to 2013 but levels are still historically low. Of a total of 29,070 marriages registered in 2014, 367 involved same sex couples following the introduction of same sex marriage on 16^th December 2014.

The provisional figures also show that:

• Of the 367 same sex marriages registered in 2014,173 involved male couples and 194 female couples. 359 of these marriages were conversions of civil partnerships. 
• There were 436 civil partnerships (193 male and 243 female), 94 fewer than during 2013. 
• 56,725 births were registered in the year – 711 (1.3 per cent) more than in 2013. 
• 54,239 deaths were registered in Scotland in 2014 – 461 (0.8 per cent) fewer than in 2013. This is the fourth lowest number of deaths recorded in over 150 years. Only 2009, 2010 and 2011 had fewer deaths.
• Deaths from cancer fell by 0.3 per cent to 15,803, deaths from coronary heart disease fell by 5.9 per cent to 6,842, and there were 4,125 deaths from stroke (a drop of 7.2 per cent).

The full publication 2014 Births, Deaths and Other Vital Events - Preliminary Annual Figures is available on the NRS website.

National Records of Scotland also published today lists of all the first forenames that were given to babies whose births were registered in Scotland in 2014, together with a full list of babies’ first names for each year back to 1974, and some information about how the top names have changed over the years.

This can be found in the Babies Names section on this website.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) today launched a consultation on its Demographic Statistics products. NRS is seeking your views both to inform potential reductions to some of its Demographic Statistics outputs and to identify ways in which its other outputs might be improved.

The aim of the consultation is to obtain feedback on the need for and use of these outputs to ensure that we continue to produce the statistics that meet user needs. Your views will help to inform these important decisions in order that we can continue to make improvements and respond to new issues as they arise.

We are seeking feedback on the quality of our statistical products and suggestions for changes that would make them more useful to you. It is an important part of our commitment to understand the needs of our customers so that we can continually improve.

The consultation can be accessed on this website.

Detailed characteristics on Scotland’s population

The statistics published today by the Registrar General for Scotland on the Scotland’s Census website present further details on Scotland’s population (Release 3N), from national to local level.

Key points - Release 3N

Highest level of qualification by household composition

• At the time of the 2011 Census, 26 per cent of the 4.3 million people aged 16 and over living in households in Scotland held a degree level or equivalent qualification. This proportion was highest (34 per cent) for the 830,000 people aged 16 and over living in couple family households with no children and lowest (13 per cent) for the 227,000 people aged 16 and over in lone parent family households with dependent children.

• Of those people aged 16 and over in households, 27 per cent had no qualifications. This proportion was highest (59 per cent) for households where all the people in the household were aged 65 or over, followed by lone parent family households where all children in the household were non-dependent (35 per cent).

Household composition by approximated social grade of Household Reference Person [Footnote 1] (HRP)

• In 2011, 28 per cent of the 1.8 million HRPs in Scotland aged 16 to 64 were categorised as approximated social grade DE (‘Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers; on state benefit, unemployed, lowest grade workers’). Just under half (49 per cent) of the 227,000 lone parent HRPs fell into this category.

Distance travelled to work by car or van availability

• In 2011, a total of 2.4 million people aged 16 to 74 in households in Scotland were in employment (excluding full-time students). Of these people, 11 per cent (255,000) worked mainly at or from home.

• For the 2.1 million people who travelled to work, 74 per cent of those in households with no car or van available travelled less than 10km to their workplace, compared with 60 per cent of those in households with one car or van available and 47 per cent of those in households with two or more cars or vans available.  Conversely, the proportion of people who travelled 30km or more to their workplace was higher for people in households with two or more cars or vans available (10 per cent) than for those in households with one car or van available (7 per cent) or with no cars or vans available (4 per cent).

Family status by number of parents working by dependent children in family by economic activity

• In 2011, there were 1.0 million parents aged 16 and over in Scotland with dependent children. Of these, 79 per cent were in employment (including 27 per cent in part-time employment), 5 per cent were unemployed, 10 per cent were categorised as ‘economically inactive: looking after home or family’ and 7 per cent were otherwise economically inactive (for example, long-term sick or disabled).

• Of the 111,000 lone parents in employment who had dependent children, 59 per cent worked part-time. Of the 79,000 lone parents not in employment, 25 per cent were unemployed, while 41 per cent were categorised as ‘economically inactive: looking after home or family’, 16 per cent as ‘economically inactive: long-term sick or disabled’ and 17 per cent as otherwise economically inactive.

• Of the 46,000 parents in couple families with dependent children where neither parent was in employment, 25 per cent were unemployed and 75 per cent were economically inactive. 

Long-term health conditions by ethnic group

• At the time of the 2011 Census, 30 per cent of Scotland’s population had  one or more long-term health conditions. This proportion was highest for the ‘White: Gypsy/traveller’ ethnic group (37 per cent) and lowest for the ‘White: Polish’ ethnic group (9 per cent).

The tables of census results covered in Release 3N are listed below. They are a mixture of ‘Detailed Characteristics’ (DC), ‘Local Characteristics’ (LC) and ‘Quick Statistics’ (QS) tables. DC versions of tables include the most complex cross-tabulations and are therefore not available at smaller geographic areas (generally available down to postcode sectors). LC versions of tables include less complex cross-tabulations and are therefore available down to the lowest geographic levels (generally census output areas). In some instances, no LC version of a table is produced as a statistical disclosure control measure. Similarly, the DC version of some tables is produced for council areas only.

Tables included in Release 3N

From 1 January 2015, National Records of Scotland (NRS) will make available files containing the first meetings of the newly-established Scottish Cabinet held in 1999. The files reveal discussions around issues ranging from Land Reform to new government proposals for Freedom of Information in Scotland.

These files would previously have remained closed for 30 years, and form part of the annual release of archived information in NRS by the Scottish Government. Since 2009 the Scottish Government has proactively opened over 13,000 files at 15 years rather than the traditional 30 years.

Moreover, new Freedom of Information legislation effective from 1 April this year has reduced the period of time most information can be withheld, and lifted restrictions on 'historical' records. This means more Scottish public authority information will be in the public domain earlier than was previously the case.

Also available for the first time from 1999 are government files on areas as diverse as: funding sources for Gaelic pre-school education; fisheries policy, in particular consideration of the Shetland Box; implementation of the ‘Higher Still’ exams; a report on the abolition of the feudal system of land tenure; and guidance notes on tackling the year 2000 date change problem (the 'Millennium Bug').  Files from earlier years include topics such as the consideration of grant aid for modernising Glasgow's underground rail system, and actions following allegations of ill-treatment at South Inch House Detention Centre.

In welcoming this latest release of information, Tim Ellis, Chief Executive of NRS and Keeper of the Records of Scotland, said ‘These papers provide an interesting glimpse into the considerations of the then newly established Scottish Cabinet.  They add significantly to the broad range of historical records about government activities in Scotland now available to researchers, and they complement the other unique information about Scotland's people and history that NRS holds on behalf of the nation.’

Joe FitzPatrick, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Parliamentary Business, said: “I’m sure the first papers of the Scottish Cabinet included in this latest file release will prove fascinating reading for politicians, historians and the wider public.

“Information made available at the National Records of Scotland as well as the wealth of information proactively made available on the Scottish Government’s website demonstrates this Government’s on-going commitment to openness and transparency.

“The Scottish Government is proud of its record in ensuring Scotland’s Freedom of Information legislation remains up-to-date and the most robust across the UK.”

Following the New Year public holidays, the newly opened files will be available to view in our search room from Monday 5 January. The Cabinet meetings and papers are available in digital format. The remaining records have not been digitised, are held off-site and require to be ordered via our online catalogue. Please note that we require at least one working day’s notice to pre-order files and cannot guarantee they will be available on 5 January.

Details about government files which were previously opened can be found by searching our online catalogue. These open records complement many of those on this year’s release list.

Please note that you will need a current reader’s ticket to see files in our search room. See how to obtain a reader’s ticket, and what preparations to make, in the preparing to visit page of our website.

The list of files released in 2015 can be viewed in either PDF or Rich Text Format. The list indicates which files are available as digital images and which require pre-ordering.

File Release List (PDF 158KB)
File Release List (RTF 1.78MB)

The new online release of births, marriages and deaths by the National Records of Scotland today reveal how patriotism gripped parents of babies in 1914, and how the outbreak of war in 1939 prompted couples to marry.

Among the 123,394 births in 1914 we found 21 boys given the first or middle name of Kitchener after Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War. Field Marshal Lord Kitchener’s face adorned the famous recruiting posters at the outbreak of war in August 1914. He was responsible for increasing the British Army from six regular and fourteen divisions to seventy divisions by the creation of the ‘New Armies’ named after him. Other children were named Jellicoe after Admiral John Jellicoe, Commander of the Fleet and, from 1916, First Sea Lord.

The 46,257 marriage records released this year date from 1939. When Britain declared war on Germany, there was surge in the number of marriages in Scotland, as young couples rushed to wed before the men were posted overseas. There were 7,541 more than in 1938 - the second-highest number of marriages recorded by that date in Scotland.

Every year on 1 January new data collected by the Registrar General for Scotland becomes available to the public via the ScotlandsPeople website, at the ScotlandsPeople Centre in Edinburgh and at local family history centres in Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Alloa, Hawick and Inverness. The statutory registers are opened to the public in line with the falling away of specific closure periods: 100 years for birth records, 75 years for marriage records and 50 years for death records.

Tim Ellis, Registrar General and Keeper of the Records of Scotland, said:

“We know that the latest additions to our online resources on ScotlandsPeople will be very useful for family history and other researchers, particularly as the registers for 1914 contain information about Scots at the start of the First World War”.