SCOTLAND has seen its biggest population increase since the "baby boom" created by demobbed soldiers returning from the Second World War, figures yesterday revealed.
Statistics showed migration into the country in 2006-7 was by far the largest contributing factor to the upward trend.
The latest population "head count" shows a total increase of 27,300 people – 16,800 from overseas and around 8,800 from within t
he UK.
The increase is the highest since such records began in 1951.
Adjustments in the figures take into account the movement of military personnel and their families.
The figures, from the General Register for Scotland, also show that the population has increased for the fifth year running. In June last year the total was 5.144 million – the highest figure in 25 years.
Duncan Macniven, the register general for Scotland, commenting on his Annual Review of Demographic Trends said population "records were being broken".
He said: "The most interesting thing in this year's report is that the increase in population between 2006 and 2007 was the highest single-year rise since just after the Second World War.
"The most important factor is migration. An increase in birth rate contributed a bit but that would only increase the population of Scotland by about 1,000.
"In fact, the population increased by about 27,000 and the remaining 26,000 was because the number of people coming into Scotland exceeded the number of people going out.
"It's a trend that can be seen over the last five years.
"Whether it continues or not is the 64,000-dollar question."
The population increase is a significant because it helps to allay fears raised in 2004 that Scotland's population was on course to fall below five million by 2009.
Jack McConnell, the former first minister, warned that Scotland was facing a "demographic time-bomb" and introduced a number of initiatives to turn the trend round.
These included the Fresh Talent initiative, which allowed students to apply to stay and work in Scotland for two years after the end of their course without the need for a work permit.
Other initiatives were aimed at increasing the number of apprenticeships for young people to offset possible skills shortages in the future.
Meanwhile, four out of five births in Scotland last year were to Scots-born mothers. The age at which women gave birth was linked to socio-economic class, with mothers in "managerial" and "professional" categories showing a marked peak in childbearing in the 30-34 age group.
Those in lower-paid jobs described as "routine" or "semi-routine" were the most likely to have children in their 20s.
For the first time, the review contained a report on fertility by academics at the universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews.
They debated whether Scotland needed a "fertility policy" similar to those in France and Sweden to arrest the long-term shrinkage of the population.
Population numbers are expected to begin falling in 2056 and to be below 5 million by 2076. They said all the evidence suggested couples in Scotland wanted at least two children but often revised these goals downwards due to financial constraints and practical difficulties – including factors such as childcare and house prices.
While pointing out that other nations' fertility policies had not necessarily been successful, they flagged up future problematic scenarios if fertility rates did not increase.
These included a deficit of young talent in the labour market at a time when the ageing population was likely to increase demand for services such as healthcare, meaning more trained doctors and nurses would be needed.
There was also concern over a recruitment deficit in key areas for the economy, such as IT.
Religion 'plays a role in less than half of marriages'LESS than half of all marriages last year were religious ceremonies, according to figures released yesterday by the Registrar General.
Around 48 per cent of couples opted for religious weddings while about 52 per cent had civil ceremonies. This compared with 55 per cent and 45 per cent respectively in 1997.
Figures also showed humanist marriages had risen for the third year running, despite only being made legal three years ago.
Ron McLaren, vice-convener of the Humanist Society of Scotland, said: "The main reasons we are seeing this increase is that there has been a major decline in church attendance and young people feel a bit awkward in engaging with a minister of religion when they don't attend church."
The annual statistics showed that there were 29,866 marriages in Scotland in 2007, almost exactly the same as in 2006, but considerably lower than the typical number of 40,000 in the 1970s.
The highest total of weddings recorded in recent years was 32,154 in 2004.
"Tourist weddings", for couples who do not live in Scotland, accounted for just over a quarter of the marriages in 2007. Almost half of those marriages took place at Gretna.
Last year, almost 8,000 civil ceremonies – more than a quarter of all marriages – were conducted at "approved places" instead of registration offices, an option introduced in 2002. There were 688 civil partnerships registered in 2007 – 339 male and 349 female couples.
This compared with 1,047 registered in 2006, the first full year of the new legal status.
