| While the population of Scotland as a whole was estimated to have risen by more than 20,000 as at June 30 last year, Dundee is listed as having lost 1220 people, equivalent to 0.9% of the citizens, since the previous year.
The drop brought Dundee’s population down to 141,870 compared to 143,090 at June 30, 2003.
Deaths outnumbered births in the city by 286 and there was net outward migration from Dundee of more than 900.
However, the largest reduction was suffered in the Aberdeen City Council area, which lost more than 3000 people in the space of 12 months, and currently stands at 203,450.
Edinburgh recorded the biggest increase with 5300 more people in the city than the previous year, taking its population over the 450,000 mark.
Over the decade from 1994 to 2004 Dundee’s population fell by more than 10,000, an average loss of over 1000 a year.
City council administration leader Jill Shimi has said the local authority and its partners are doing everything possible to stem the decline in population.
“While the statistics show the population has been in long-term decline there are many factors that give optimism for the future, including ongoing historic record levels of employment and investment in the city,” she said.
“Dundee has grown recently to become a strong regional centre that is attracting consumers from across Scotland and our quality of life remains a huge selling point.”
A new indicator from the 2001 census showed that Dundee’s daytime adult population is running at around 162,000, when those who come into the city for work or study are taken into account.
Referring to the overall Scottish figures to June 2004 the Registrar General said deaths had outnumbered births by about 4000.
But that was more than counterbalanced by an estimated migration gain of around 26,000 because more people came into Scotland than moved away. |
