SCOTLAND'S population is undergoing unprecedented change as it reaches a new high, according to new analysis from the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

The body's annual report has showed the country's population reached a new high of 5.55 million, and predicts it will reach 5.8 million in 2047. At the same time, births and the fertility rate are at an all-time low and for the ninth year in a row there were more deaths than births in 2024.

The age-standardised mortality rate in 2024 was the lowest since records began in 1994.

In the year to mid-2024, the population grew as approximately 56,400 more people moved to Scotland than left. Three quarters of them were from outside the UK.

Since 2004, there has been a 43% increase in people aged 75 and over. This trend is set to continue wit

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