Scotland's population

The times are a-changing and so are Scotland's people. Not long ago we were told the country's population would slump below 5,000,000 in 2009. In October, the latest projection suggested this would not happen until 2076. All the factors that determine population seem to be moving in the same direction. The once wide gap between deaths and births has shrunk to almost zero, as Scots live longer and the birthrate starts to rise again. And the notorious brain drain of 30 years ago has been replaced by net immigration last year of 12,700. These "New Scots" are a mixture of our own people returning, immigrants from other parts of the UK and arrivals from abroad, predominantly Eastern Europe.