Number of elderly Scots 'to increase by 85% by 2039'

The number of Scots aged 75 or over is predicted to increase by 85% by 2039.

The figure is in a new report by the National Records of Scotland (NRS), external. By 2039, the NRS believes there will be 800,000 Scots aged 75 or over.

Scotland's population overall is projected to rise to 5.7 million by that year, an increase of nearly 7%.

The statistical body expects the population to rise from its current state of 5.35 million to 5.51 million in the next 10 years.

The report predicts 90% of the increase in this period will be down to migration.

There will only be a 1% increase in the number of children by 2039, the NRS suggests, while the average age of a Scot is also expected to rise by that year, from 41.9 to 45.2.

The NRS also predicts that Scotland's population will rise lower than England (17%) and Northern Ireland (10%), but slightly higher than Wales (6%).

Tim Ellis, the chief executive of NRS, said: "The latest population projections indicate that while Scotland's population is expected to reach record levels for years to come, it is not projected to be quite as high as the previous set of projections suggested.

"Scotland's population is projected to continue to rise into the future because although Scotland's birth rate and inward net migration levels have recently fallen, they are still high by historic standards. Also people at older ages are expected to live longer."