Demographics of Scotland

Scotland is a fairly small country with a reasonably high population density of approximately 64 people per a square kilometer. If you travel the country you will find that this is merely a statistical average since the population density increases and decreases in various parts of the country. The vast majority of people live in the Central Lowlands, which take the form of a broad, fertile valley and are the best suited to habitation. This is where you will find the country's major cities such as Stirling, Glasgow, Perth, Falkirk and Dundee. Glasgow has the highest population density in the country, while the Scottish Highlands have the lowest population density.

The total number of people living in Scotland was estimated to be 5,116,900 in 2006, with the population currently growing at a rate of approximately 0.4%. A number of immigrants continue to make their way into the country at a steady rate. The infant mortality rate is low, with only 4.9 deaths taking place to every 1,000 live births. However, the death rate is slightly higher than the birth rate and this is often attributed to crime related deaths rather than natural causes, though you can be sure that both play an equal role in the mortality rate. Healthcare systems are good and the average life expectancy at birth is 76.8 years, with woman living the longest. More males are born than females and there are more men in the country than woman. The average Scottish woman gives birth to 1.6 children.

Despite the fact that Scotland is seen as being a strongly European country, it has a surprising diversity of ethnic groups. White Scottish people make up the largest portion of the population at 88.09%. Following them, it is White British (7.38%), other Whites (1.54%), White Irish (0.98%), Pakistani (0.63%), Chinese (0.32%), Indian (0.30%), Mixed (0.25%), other South Asian (0.12%), African (0.10%), Bangladeshi (0.04%), Caribbean (0.04%) and Black Scottish or other Black (0.02%). The main languages in the country are English, Scottish and Gaelic. The literacy rate in Scotland is very high with 99% of the population over the age of 15 being able to read and write. This statistic is spread evenly over both male and female residents. The main religions in Scotland are Protestant, Roman Catholic, Muslim and Judaism.

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