of approximately 5.48 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 635,130, and the capital city of Edinburgh, with a population of 526,470 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, led by Humza Yousaf, is the largest political party in the
Scottish Parliament and won 48 of 59 Scottish seats in the
2019 UK general election, which was followed by an unsuccessful request for a second
Scottish independence referendum. As of September 2023, the share of people in Scotland who would vote for independence stood at 47 percent, compared with 53 percent who would stay in the United Kingdom. Although independence won't be on the ballot in 2024,
Scottish voters will likely head to the polls to vote in a UK-wide general election, and although support for the SNP has fallen since 2020, they still retain a polling lead over both Labour and the Conservatives.
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 289,000 in 2022/23. 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 52.8 in 2022/23, 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 prior to 2020, with this trend was also reflected in the
youth unemployment rate. Rising unemployment rates from 2020 onwards were a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused widespread disruption to the UK
economy . Going into 2024, it is likely that Scotland will continue to suffer some effects from a
afflicting the UK, driven by record high inflation rates, 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.
