National Islands Plan Annual Report 2025
The Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 requires that a report is presented to Parliament each year setting out the progress made towards delivery of the National Islands Plan. This report sets out progress made during the 2025 reporting year.
Population Levels
Strategic Objective 1 – Address population decline and ensure a healthy, balanced population profile.
Commitment 1.1 Identify islands where population decline is becoming a critical issue in order to ensure that these islands have their needs addressed.Population Trends
Analysis of recent data, from the National Records of Scotland, relating to population trends across Scottish Islands over a 40 year period (1981-2022) is currently being undertaken. Initial findings indicate that while some islands have experienced modest growth or stability, several are facing substantial population decline.
This corresponds with feedback the Scottish Government received from island communities and local authorities during the 2023-24 review of Scotland’s first National Islands Plan. These reflections, as well as updated data from the Scottish Islands Data Dashboard (see below), helped to inform the development of a new National Islands Plan which will have population retention and attraction as its overarching objective.
Scottish Islands Data Dashboard
The Scottish Islands Data Dashboard was updated in 2025 following a review of available data and includes information on a large number of variables which mirror the Strategic Objectives of first National Islands Plan. In relation to this, the Scottish Islands Data Overview Report was published in September 2025 and summarises the key findings and changes between available data from 2023 and 2025. It also provides a detailed overview of longer-term social and economic trends on Scotland’s islands.
Islands Growth Deal
The Islands Growth Deal is now in its delivery phase, driving sustainable, inclusive economic growth across Orkney, Shetland, and the Outer Hebrides, while investing in people, projects, and priorities to increase opportunities for all.
The Islands Growth Deal aims to deliver up to 1,300 jobs by 2032, attracting people to the islands and helping them to be among the first places in the UK to achieve net zero.
Commitment 1.2 Understand the impact of Brexit on islands and island communities.Commitment fulfilled.
This commitment was fulfilled in 2021. Please see the National Islands Plan Annual Report 2021 for details.
Commitment 1.3 Develop an action plan to support repopulation of our rural and island communities and work with partners to test approaches using small-scale pilots.Commitment fulfilled.
This commitment was fulfilled in 2023. Please see the National Islands Plan Annual Report 2023 for details.
Commitment 1.4 Work with young islanders to identify actions to encourage them to stay on or return to islands.International Graduate Retention
Scotland welcomes international students and recognises the important and valuable contribution they make to our economy, educational environment and society.
Through our International Education Strategy (IES), we will work with higher and further education sectors, and other partners, to identify and promote ways that universities and colleges can work with employers to increase the number of international graduates entering the workforce, to help address skills shortages and meet longer-term population challenges such as those experienced by many Scottish islands.
Scotland’s Migration Service is supporting international students and graduates in Scotland by helping them better understand what immigration options are available if they want to stay in Scotland after finishing their studies. Our website provides access to information concerning a range of topics, including:
- the immigration system in the UK;
- visa routes and extending or switching visas;
- and rules on bringing family members to the UK.
Additionally, we have also included comprehensive resources on broader topics such as finding a job after graduation, as well as information on public services, housing, work, education and healthcare among others which may be useful to help people successfully settle into their communities.
Young Islanders Network
In 2025-26, the Scottish Government awarded £119,400 to Youth Scotland to continue supporting the Young Islanders Network (YIN).
YIN has an important role in strengthening youth representation across Scotland’s islands to ensure young islanders’ voices meaningfully inform the development and delivery of policies impacting their lives and their communities. For this reason, the Scottish Government’s Islands Team has engaged closely with YIN throughout the development of the new National Islands Plan, seeking input from young islanders on proposed priorities and commitments. In the Implementation Route Map accompanying the new National Islands Plan, YIN is identified as a delivery partner for several commitments.
YIN continues to engage on policy issues that impact young islanders and influence their decision to stay on (or return to) their islands. This includes contributions to consultations on connectivity (including ferry services), mental health, climate action, land use and child safety.
YIN has published its Ferry Safety Report and has held meetings with NorthLink ferries to discuss safety and safeguarding concerns. These were initially highlighted in the results of an online survey which was co-developed by YIN members and disseminated across the islands.
Additionally, YIN has worked to raise the profile of the priorities of young islanders, this included meetings with Connectivity Minister Jim Fairlie MSP in Orkney and Shetland to discuss issues including the under-22s ferry scheme, and with the First Minister in Lewis to discuss climate action.
YIN continues its partnership with Climate Hebrides and has attended the annual Outer Hebrides Climate Conference, contributing the views of young islanders to climate discussions. In addition, YIN has also supported the participation of young people from Shetland in the Just Transition Young Advisors Panel which enabled participants to earn SCQF-accredited awards through Youth Scotland.
Over the past year, YIN has focused on delivering progress in capacity building and improving governance. This has included dedicated sessions at Youth Scotland’s Big Ideas Weekend. The event brought young islanders together to explore new ideas, share learning and build leadership and networking skills. This led to the development of a new membership tier for YIN (the YIN Volunteer role) as well as new opportunities to develop skills in youth work and mentorship.
The YIN Volunteer role offers a progression pathway for YIN members aged 26 and over, who are supported on their youth work journey. Volunteers support YIN work in their local communities through assisting with local events and young people in their area, facilitating YIN workshops or challenges locally, helping YIN Reps and Champions, and by connecting their networks and roles in the wider landscape.
Community Settlement Officers
During 2025-26, the Scottish Government has continued to part-fund Community Settlement Officer (CSO) roles, in partnership with host local authorities, in Argyll and Bute and Na h-Eileanan Siar. These roles exist to respond to local challenges and opportunities to support people and their families to move to these areas, recognising the local demographic and labour market challenges that exist.
In Argyll and Bute, the CSO has engaged across the local authority and with communities to support strategic decision making through the lens of population; supported broader work as part of delivering the Addressing Depopulation Fund to secure better housing outcomes for the area; and developed information resources to support responses to requests for support to move to the area.
In Uist, the CSO has responded to settlement and relocation enquiries; built partnerships with local employers to support relocation objectives; and supported broader activity being delivered by the local authority through the Addressing Depopulation Fund around key drivers of population attraction and retention such as skills, childcare and promotional campaigns.
Commitment 1.5 Fully consider policy developments, such as the findings of the Scottish Government research “rural planning to 2050” when ensuring that the needs of Scotland’s islands are taken into account by the Ministerial Task Force on Population.Commitment fulfilled.
This commitment was fulfilled in 2020. Please see the National Islands Plan Annual Report 2020 for further details.
Commitment 1.6 Ensure that policies aim to retain and attract Gaelic speakers to live and work in Gaelic speaking island communities.Commitment fulfilled.
The Scottish Languages Act 2025 was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 17 June 2025 and received Royal Assent on 31 July 2025. It officially grants Gaelic and Scottish Languages their official status in Scotland. This builds on existing measures in relation to Gaelic education, planning and community development. In particular, the new power for local authorities to designate Areas of Linguistic Significance will empower Gaelic speaking island communities to determine how Gaelic policy best contributes to their resilience.
The new Tog (which means “to raise” in Gaelic) action group brings together government, public bodies and private enterprise to ensure that the full economic potential of Gaelic is realised. Among other actions, it will continue to implement the recommendations of the Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic.
Commitment 1.7 Work with policy colleagues to produce a National Development Plan for Crofting which will set the long term strategic direction for crofting – highlighting the core elements necessary to ensure crofting remains at the heart of our rural and remote communities.Commitment fulfilled.
This commitment was fulfilled in 2021. Please see the National Islands Plan Annual Report 2021 for further details.
Commitment 1.8 Work with the Crofting Commission to encourage a healthy turnover of croft tenancies on our islands to create opportunities for new people into crofting.Crofting Policy
Each year since 2020-21, the Scottish Government has increased the Crofting Commission’s budget allocation. Amongst other things, this funding has enabled the Commission to expand its staff resource, including in residency and land-use enforcement.
In 2025, the Crofting Commission continued to collaborate with the Scottish Government’s Rural Payments and Inspections Division, to investigate crofters who appeared to be non-compliant with duties. The project has been expanded to check a random selection of crofters who indicated in their Annual Notice that they were complying with their statutory duties.
In addition, the Commission has been following up with non-returners of the Annual Notice, with warning letters sent to approximately 3,500 crofters who did not respond. The Commission’s focus on addressing residency and land use brings crofts back into productive use and creates opportunities for new entrants.
There are over 500 new entrants to crofting each year. The Commission’s provisional figures report that from April 2024 to the end of March 2025, there were 539 new entrants to crofting. Over 50% of these were island-based crofters, while 44% were female and 29% were aged 40 and under.
Commitment 1.9 Continue to provide support for island crofters to make improvements to their crofts and help to sustain their businesses, these will include Croft House Grant Scheme, Cattle Improvement Scheme and other crofting support mechanisms.Commitment fulfilled.
This commitment was fulfilled in 2020. Please see the National Islands Plan Annual Report 2020 for further details.
Contact
Email: info@islandsteam.scot