Scotland's Position Within the United Kingdom

1. The United Kingdom population is projected to increase gradually from an estimated 59.8 million in 2004, passing 60 million in 2005, to reach 67.0 million by 2031.

2. Due to differences in demographic patterns, projected trends differ for the four countries of the United Kingdom.  While the population of Scotland is projected to rise, peaking in 2019 and then slowly decline, the populations of the other three countries in the UK are projected to rise to 2031, and continue rising except for Northern Ireland where the population is projected to peak in 2033 and then slowly decline. Figure 8 illustrates the projected percentage change in the populations of the four countries from 2004 to 2031.