Population: key points

 
• Scotland’s estimated population on the 30th June 2008 was 5,168,500, a rise of 24,300 on the previous year and the highest since 1981.

• Between mid-2001 and mid-2008, the Scottish population increased by 2.1% (104,300) from 5.06 million to 5.17 million.

• Longer-term forecasts predict the increasing population to reach an estimated 5.37 million in 2031.

• Forecasts predict that the total number of households in Scotland will increase from 2,291,420 to 2,731,090 between 2006 and 2031, a rise of 19%.

• The average number of persons per household continues to reduce overall.

Section updates: The last major update of this section was completed in June 2009. The next major update is due to be carried out by end June 2010.