Migration: introduction

Population migration is an important issue for planners locally and nationally. For local government, changes in the size and composition of local populations and relative movement between areas impact on the need for services including housing, social work, education and training. Knowledge of population movement is critical to properly assess the success of regeneration initiatives although, historically, adequate data have not been available. From a public health perspective new populations moving into an area may lead to demand for new or culturally specific services. An example of this is the impact of the recent expansion of the asylum seeker population in parts of Glasgow.

From published work we know that in Scotland migration is higher among young adults, reflecting moves out of the family home; however, is also notable to a lesser extent among the very young - i.e. children under the age of five - and this is associated with parents moving home prior their children starting school. It is also known that people with long-term illness, carers and those with poorer health are less likely to move, while the better qualified, students and those with professional occupations, are more likely to move.

However, migration is difficult to estimate and there is no comprehensive system which registers migration in the UK - either moves to or from the rest of the world, or moves within the UK. Estimates of migration therefore have to be based on survey data and the best proxy data that exist. In Scotland migration estimates are calculated by the General Register Office for Scotland and are derived from three key sources of data. The National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) is used to calculate moves between health board areas within the UK, with migration at council area level within Scotland estimated using anonymised data from the Community Health Index (CHI). The International Passenger Survey (IPS) provides information on moves into and out of Scotland from outside the UK.

Migration estimates are published by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) each year in their annual report. The GROS has recently produced a paper summarising migration trends based on the 2001 Census.

The tables in the data pages have been derived from both these latter sources. The key data sources and useful links pages of this section provide further details on relevant sources of information.