Scotland’s first national population strategy, framing the diverse and cross-cutting demographic challenges that Scotland faces at national and local level, and setting out a programme of work to address these challenges and harness new opportunities.
Like many advanced economies around the world, Scotland's population is ageing. We are living longer and that is to be celebrated. Yet, at the same time, we are having fewer babies. This means that by 2050 the numbers of older people are expected to have risen dramatically as a proportion of our population. To add to this, Scotland's relationship with migration, as a key driver of labour market stability, is anticipated to change as a result of Brexit. Together, these three demographic processes - mortality, fertility and migration - add up to fundamental challenges facing key aspects of our society over the next 10, 20, 50 years and beyond - including our economy, our public services and our environment.
But Scotland's population change is, crucially, not a monolith. From Edinburgh to the Orkney Islands, from the Borders to Argyll and Bute, each and every local authority feels our demographic challenge differently. At a local level, the balance of people living in our cities, towns, villages and island areas continues to change. Some local populations are experiencing rapid population growth, causing increased pressure on services; local populations in other areas, especially, but not only, in rural areas are experiencing population decline.
This paper frames Scotland's demographic challenge around four key building blocks:
1) a family friendly nation,
2) a healthy living society,
3) an attractive and welcoming country, and
4) a more balanced population.
It frames the complex and cross-cutting issue of population change, connecting existing actions around economic and infrastructure development, local investment and planning, migration, housing, education, population health and social care and public finance.