Scotland’s population rises to highest on record

Scotland’s population has risen to 5,436,600 – the highest figure on record – the first results from the 2022 census have shown.

It grew by 141,200 (2.7%) since 2011, which is a slower rate of growth than the previous census.

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) data shows that without migration the population would have decreased by about 49,800 since 2011.

There are now more than one million people aged 65 and over in Scotland – a 22.5% since 2011.