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2021 Mid-Year Population Estimates

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The 2021 mid-year population estimates have recently been released by National Records of Scotland.  These are not the results of the 2021 census, as we expect that data to become available in around 12 months. 

The headline figure from the estimates is that Glasgow's population stands at 635,200, which is a marginal decrease of 400 from the 2020 mid-year population estimate of 635,600.

Population Age Breakdown for Glasgow

The age breakdown is shown in the following table:

Table 1: Population Age Breakdown for Glasgow

    Age  

     2020

      2021

     No

   %

    2011

   2021

    No

  %

  0-14

   95,000

   94,300

    -700

  -0.7

   89,700

   94,300

    4,600 

    5.1

 15-24

   84,400

   81,700

 -2,700  

  -3.2

   94,900

   81,700

 -13,200

 -13.9 

 25-44

 220,000

 223,400  

  3,400

   1.5

 184,600

 223,400 

  38,800

  21.0

 45-64

 150,600  

 149,200

 -1,400

  -0.9  

 141,700  

 149,200

    7,500

    5.3

 65-80

   62,800

   64,100

  1,300

   2.1

   59,700

   64,100

    4,400

    7.4

 80+ 

   22,800

   22,500

   -300

  -1.3

   22,500

   22,500

           0

    0.0

Total

 635,600

 635,200

   -400

  -0.1

 593,100

 635,200

  42,100

    7.1

Source: National Records of Scotland

The clear sign is that the recent fall is quite at odds with the general trend over the last decade; which has shown a general increase of 42,100, 7.1% (Scotland over the same period, 3.4%).

Some of the points to note on the age breakdown are as follows:

  • Continued reduction in the number of people in the 15-24 age group, a possible reflection of the fall in the number of births that took place between 1991 and 2006, and which will have important implications on the number of new entrants into the labour market.
  • Strong increase in the size of the 25-44 age group, likely due to in-migration, and which has compensated for the reduction in the number of births in Glasgow.
  • Small increase in the 65-80 age group, but not so much in the 80+ age group.

 

Age Comparisons between Glasgow and Other Areas

The population age profile in Glasgow is quite different from neighbouring local authorities and Scotland.

Table 2: Age Composition Comparisons between Glasgow and Other Areas (2021)

   Age

   Glasgow   

  Non-Glasgow Conurb  

  Scotland  

   0-14

     14.8%

                16.5%

    15.6%

  15-24    

      12.9%

                11.0%

    11.2%

  25-44

      35.2%

                24.4%

    26.4%

  45-64

      23.5%

                28.5%

    27.2%

  65-80

      10.1%

                14.7%

    14.6%

   80+ 

        3.5%

                  5.0%

      5.0%

Source: National Records of Scotland
The Non-Glasgow Conurbation includes North and South Lanarkshire; East and West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.

As the table shows:

  • The size of the 0-14 age group is smaller than in the surrounding area and in Scotland, however and in spite of recent decreases, the size of the 15-24 age group is higher.
  • The big difference is with the size of the 25-44 age group, a significant part of the employed population, and which is significantly larger in Glasgow than in the other areas.
  • Glasgow's 65+ population is 13.6% of the total population, lower than in the surrounding area (19.7%) and in Scotland (19.6%). 

Additional information is available on trends between 2011 and 2021, and on migration patterns. 

During that period, and as shown above, Glasgow's population increased from 593,100 to 635,200.  Things have not been static, as at the same time, a total migration in-flow of 324,450 was offset by a migration out-flow of 288,920, leaving a net migration increase of 35,520.  This suggests a large amount of population movement and change over the ten year period.

 

Last modified on 10 April 2024

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