of approximately 5.49 million. With a
of just 70 people per square kilometer, Scotland is also the most sparsely populated country in the UK. A large share of the Scottish population lives in the 'Central Belt'
of the country, which includes the major cities of Glasgow, which has a population of 631,970, and the capital city of Edinburgh, with a population of 523,250 people.
Although Scotland has a growing population,
Scottish politics and Scottish independence
The issue of Scottish independence from the rest of the United Kingdom is a key political issues for the country. Although Scotland voted to reject independence in a
referendum in 2014, subsequent events in the UK have only widened the gap between Scotland and Westminster. The
Brexit vote saw Scotland vote primarily to remain in the European Union compared with England and Wales, which mostly voted to leave. The Scottish National Party is the largest political party in the
Scottish Parliament but won just nine Scottish seats in the
UK general election in 2024, down from 48 in
2019, which was followed by an unsuccessful request for a second
Scottish independence referendum. As of September 2024, the
share of people in Scotland who would vote for independence stood at 44 percent, compared with 56 percent who would stay in the United Kingdom.
Falling crime and economic headwinds
The number of
recorded crimes in Scotland has declined substantially in recent years, falling from almost 512,000 crimes in 2004/05 to around 299,800 in 2023/24. This decline can also be seen in Scotland's
crime rate, which has dropped from 93.4 crimes per 1,000 people in 2004/05 to 55 in 2023/24, significantly lower than that of England and Wales. In terms of Scotland's economic situation, recent labor market statistics show that the overall
unemployment rate was declining significantly between 2011 and 20`9, with this trend also reflected in the
youth unemployment rate. The uptick in unemployment from 2020 onwards was a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused widespread disruption to the UK
economy . Going into 2025, it is likely that Scotland will continue to suffer the lingering effects of the
cost of living crisis afflicting the UK, driven by record high
inflation rates in 2022 and rising
energy prices.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no
liability for the information given being complete or correct.
Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
