For five years running, Scotland has recorded more deaths than births and now has the lowest birth rate in Britain. As a result, its population is aging and over the long-run could cause a bankrupt pension system; sky-high health care costs, especially in Scotland, where the elderly receive free nursing-home care; a shortage of skilled workers; and a diminished pool of brainpower.
Last summer, Scotland experienced its lowest birth rate since it began keeping records 150 years ago:
In response, Jack McConnell, who is Scotland’s first minister, has announced a series of initiatives aimed at luring back Scottish expatriates and increasing the population.
Glasgow, whose population has dropped from a million to 600,000 over the past 40 years, has taken matters into its own hands:
Source: Lizette Alvarez, Scotland Takes Action to Halt Drop in Population, New York Times, November 30, 2003.
For text http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/30/international/europe/30SCOT.html
For more on Demographic Trends http://www.ncpa.org/iss/soc/
FMF Policy Bulletins/ 2 December 2003
