Non-British population of Scotland continues to increase

In 2017, the number of non-British nationals living in Scotland rose by 12% to 378,000, according to statistics published today by National Records of Scotland (NRS).

The number of EU nationals increased by 26,000 to 235,000 in this time, with the number of non-EU nationals increasing by 14,000 to 142,000. Overall, 7% of the resident population of Scotland have non-British nationality.

Polish was the most common non-British nationality in Scotland in 2017, with an estimated 99,000 residents accounting for 26% of the total non-British population. Polish nationals account for 2% of residents in Scotland overall.

The council area with the highest proportion of residents who are non-British nationals was Aberdeen City, with 21% of residents (48,000 persons) holding non-British nationality.

Population by Country of Birth and Nationality statistics are based on the Annual Population Survey, which is the largest household survey in the UK (other than the Census and Census coverage survey).

Background

The full publication for Population by Country of Birth and Nationality for Scotland in 2017 can be accessed on the NRS website. The additional tables provide data by both country of birth and nationality for Scotland and council areas. Infographics summarising the key trends are also available for this publication.