People

After decades of decline the population of Shetland, which had fallen to nearly 17,000 in the mid-1960s, rose by 31% between 1971 and 1981 as a direct result of oil related activity.  Since the 1980s, the population has been fairly stable around 22,000 - 23,000.

Births and Deaths

While there was a decline in the number of births in Shetland in 2023, in relation to the Scottish standardised birth rate, Shetland’s rate is consistently higher.

The 2021-2023 Life expectancy at birth in Shetland was higher for females (83.9 years) than for males (78.6 years), both of which were higher than the Scottish level.  Of the 32 Scottish council areas, Shetland has one of the lowest standardised death rates.

Migration

After nearly a decade of negative net migration (migration rate per 1,000 people), Shetland had a net migration rate of 6.54 in 2020/21 and 4.78 in 2021/22.  

Census data showed that the 2022 and 2011 Shetland population by country of birth was very similar.