Scotland’s annual net migration from the rest of the UK continued to grow in the year to mid-2021, latest figures show.

Scotland’s population was 5,436,600 on March 20, 2022, according to the recent census. This is the highest figure ever recorded.

The population grew by 141,200 (2.7%) since the previous census in 2011.

“Migration continued to be the sole driver of population growth, with 27,800 more people moving to Scotland than leaving in the year to mid-2021,” said the Scottish Government.

“This represented net migration of +8,900 from the rest of the UK, and +18,900 from international migration.”

The first in-depth, representative survey of attitudes to immigration in Scotland since 2014, carried out by Migration Policy Scotland and published in September 2023, found that attitudes to immigration in Scotland have warmed considerably.

“Key findings show that a majority (59%) of people in Scotland believe immigration has had a positive impact on Scotland and 48% believe it has had a positive impact on their local area,” said the Scottish Government.

“A greater proportion of the Scottish public think immigration should be increased (38%) rather than decreased (28%), although those in favour of an increase mainly support a modest increase, while those supporting a decrease are more likely to want it to be reduced ‘a lot’.”