SCOTLAND’S population has risen to its highest level for 25 years, figures revealed yesterday—but Dundee and most of the other major cities continue their decline.

Increased migration is the main reason for the increase nationally, with net inward migration levels at their highest since the 1950s.

Scotland’s estimated population in June last year was 5,144,200 in mid-2007—an increase of 27,300 on the previous year and the highest level since 1983.

Dundee has an estimated population of 142,150—6.1% less than a decade ago.

However, the rate of that decrease does appear to be slowing down. Population fell by just 20 between 2006 and 2007.

Of the other main cities, only Edinburgh is bucking the downward trend, with its population of 468,070 being 5% above its level of a decade ago.

Aberdeen at 209,260 is 3.7% down, while Glasgow’s population, at 581,940, is 1.5% down on 10 years ago.

Registrar General for Scotland Duncan Macniven said part of the reason for the national increase was that there were 1100 more births than deaths—the first year this had happen since 1997—but the increase was mostly due to migration.

“More than 63,000 people left Scotland—but nearly 90,000 came here, mostly from the rest of the UK,” he said.

“The net migration gain was over 26,000, with 9000 coming from the rest of the UK and 17,000 from overseas.

“That is the highest net in-migration figure since our records began in the early 1950s.”

Migrants also helped to boost Scotland’s birth rate.

Mothers from eastern Europe accounted for a third of the increase in births between 2006 and 2007, although only one in 50 of all births in Scotland was to a mother from eastern Europe.

On yesterday’s figures from the Scottish Government, the population has risen by 1.6% since 2001, when the total was just about five million.

Over the year, 51,500 people came to Scotland from England, Wales and Northern Ireland while 42,700 left Scotland to go in the opposite direction.

The net influx of 8800 was about the same as the previous year although the numbers of people entering and leaving Scotland had both fallen.

Meanwhile more than 37,800 people, including asylum seekers, came to Scotland from overseas and 21,000 left Scotland to go overseas.

The net influx of 16,800 is the highest ever. It compares to an inflow of 12,700 in 2005-06.

Clackmannanshire was the council area that saw the biggest annual population increase, at 2%, followed by East Lothian (up 1.7%) and Perth and Kinross (up 1.4%).

Fife’s population grew by 1570 between 2006 and 2007 to 360,500, an increase of 0.4% from the previous year and up 4% from 1997.