FAMILIES following jobs or ­looking to start a new life far from the urban sprawl have helped boost the number of people living on Scotland's islands to more than 100,000.

New census figures show the population on the islands jumped by 4% during the last decade, rising from 99,739 to 103,702 people.

The biggest increases were in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. There was a rise in population on 50 islands overall between 2001 and 2011.

People living on the isles have put the increas down to new opportunities and surveys which frequently include Scotland's far-flung outposts among the places ranked highest for quality of life.

Orkney Council convener Steven Heddle said some of the 2000 new residents on the northerly islands had been attracted by jobs in the renewables industry which did not exist a decade ago.

He said: "Orkney is a great place to live and the substantial growth in our population clearly reflects that. Ours is a strong community where folk look out for each other and we value our culture and heritage. We're ambitious as well, with a can-do attitude and willingness to embrace new ideas and opportunities.

"The emergence of the marine renewables industry has created around 250 new jobs, bringing with it not only the workers but their families too and providing opportunities for our young people to find work at home."

Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, added: "As someone who has spent a large part of my life living on Scottish islands this increase in the number of people choosing to live in places like Orkney and Shetland comes as no surprise.

"We have seen a number of surveys revealing Scotland's island communities are some of the happiest places in the UK.

"What this population rise also shows is the importance of ensuring that our islands are not at the back of the queue when it comes to improving key services. The UK Government has made its commitment to island communities clear, with a fuel duty discount and big investment in digital services across the Highlands and Islands."

The figures are from the 2011 census from the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

The 2011 census recorded Scotland's population at 5.2 million, a rise of 4.6% from 2001, and around 2% of Scots live on the islands.

Barra, in the Western Isles, now has almost 100 more people than a decade ago, something local councillor Donnie Steele put down to a growth in tourism.

He said: "The number of people visiting the island has grown incredibly, and people visit then decide they want to come back to live here. With the rise in the tourist trade a number of people have moved in to open guest houses."

However, while their numbers have grown overall, some islands, including Arran, Bute and Islay, experienced a drop in population.

The most populated island area in 2011 was Lewis and Harris with 21,031 residents, an increase of about 5.5% since 2001.

Three islands which were ­uninhabited in 2001 - Dry in the Highlands, Holm of Grimbister in Orkney and Elean de Mheinn in Argyll and Bute - had residents in 2011, while the population of 43 islands fell over the decade.

SNP MSP Alasdair Allan welcomed the rise in the population of the Western Isles but said a further breakdown of the figures would be revealing.

He said: "Although there is a welcome modest increase in population in Barra and Benbecula I suspect the vast bulk of the increased population will be accounted for in the Stornoway and Broadbay areas of Lewis."

Registrar General Tim Ellis said: "The population of the Scottish islands has increased over the past 10 years. However, much of this rise is a result of the sizeable population increases in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

"Some of the other larger islands have seen population decrease over the decade."

l A BUSINESS case is being drawn up to look into the options for providing a Scottish island with its first public road.

Kerrera, which lies off Oban and was home to 34 people in the 2011 Census, has no road to link the north to the south, so is split into two tiny communities.

Transport Scotland has told Argyll and Bute Council the only long-term solution to the island's infrastructure problems is for a road to be built, to fill the mile long gap.

Argyll and Bute Council has agreed to look at the options for providing a route.