By Andrew Copus, Senior Researcher

Does Scotland’s Demographic Strategy resemble smart shrinking in Finland?

a cottage in the mountains Scotland — Like in Finland, remote ares in Scotland are sparsely populated.

Outside the Nordic area Scotland is arguably the most comparable country in Europe to Finland in terms of its size, geography, and demographic challenges. Like Finland, it has about five and a half million people, mostly concentrated in a handful of cities and some smaller towns. More remote areas in the North and West are sparsely populated, with an ageing and declining population.

However, there are also significant differences. Continue reading “Scotland’s Demographic Strategy”