Migration: introduction

Population migration is an important issue for planners locally and nationally. Locally, changes in the size and composition of populations and relative movement between areas impact on the need for services including housing, social work, health, education, employment and training. Knowledge of population movement is also critical to properly assessing the success of regeneration initiatives although, historically, adequate data have often 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 has been the resettlement and dispersal of over 20,000 asylum seekers to Glasgow since 2001 under the 1999 Asylum and Immigration Act. The accession of the A8 countries to the EU in 2004 has also resulted in an influx of economic migrants from Eastern Europe to all parts of Scotland.

From published work we know that in Scotland migration is higher among young adults, reflecting moves out of the family home; however, migration is also notable, but to a lesser extent, among the very young - i.e. children under the age of five - which is associated with parents moving home prior their children starting school or moving to more suitable family accommodation. 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.

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 international migration have to be based on survey data, while estimates of migration within UK are largely based on administrative health service data.

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 and below estimated using 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.

A range of migration estimates for different administrative areas are published by National Records of Scotland (formerly the General Register Office for Scotland) each year. These estimates, local area migration reports, details of methodology and other useful information are available on the migration pages of their website.

The Scottish Government has produced various useful reports, including Recent migration into Scotland: the Evidence Base, and have more information on their population and migration pages.

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