City to grow

The National Statistics report released yesterday shows that the city can expect an increase of 1.4 per cent in its population.

It will jump from 584,240 in 2008, when the study began, to 592,672 in 2033; over 40,000 more people than are expected to live in Edinburgh in the same year.

By then the city's residents will make up 10.7% of Scotland's overall predicted population of 5,544,410.

Glasgow is one of 19 of the country's 32 local authorities where the population is expected to increase — along with the overall national figure, which is projected to go up by 7% in the 25-year period covered by the study.

But although the number of people of pensionable age is to increase throughout the country, Glasgow will experience one of the lowest rises in that age group — by just 11%, compared to the national average of 34%.

It will also continue to have one of the lowest proportions of pensionable residents — currently at 16% of the city population, this will rise to just 18%.

The number of people at working age will increase by 1.8% but Glasgow, along with a majority of councils in Scotland, will see a decrease in the number of children, by 9.2%.

Meanwhile, in East Renfrewshire, the figures are expected to buck the national trend as the population is actually projected to fall by 3.4%.

This would take the number of people living in the authority from 2008's figure of 89,220 down to 88,294 in ten years, and to 86,163 by 2033.

Here, the number of residents of pensionable age will increase by a massive 29.1%, while the number of people of working age is expected to fall by 11.7% and children by 12.5%.

But the reporters admitted it is hard to determine how many people might migrate to Scotland during that time — something which could have a big factor in changing the figures.