SRUC Study highlights urgent need to tackle rural and Island depopulation
A new SRUC report reveals that rural and island communities across Scotland continue to face significant demographic challenges.
These are driven by population decline and out-migration driven by shortages in housing, limited employment opportunities, and inadequate services such as healthcare and transport.
The study, 'Demographic Change and Out-Migration in Rural and Island Scotland', forms part of the Reimagined Policy Futures: Shaping Sustainable, Inclusive and Just Rural and Island Communities in Scotland (ReRIC) project.
It was conducted by SRUC Research Fellow Dr Ana Winship, Research Fellow Dr Francis Naab, Research Associate Bryony Nelson, and Senior Lecturer Jane Atterton.
The research draws on new survey and interview data, as well as international case studies from Canada, Sweden, and Croatia, to explore the drivers and impacts of population change and identify potential solutions.
Dr Ana Winship, SRUC Research Fellow and lead author said: “Our research confirmed the complexity of demographic change processes in rural and island Scotland. Access to housing, transport, services and employment remains crucial but so too are the less tangible aspects of community life, like belonging, cultural heritage, and a sense of safety. To effectively address depopulation, we need collaborative, locally tailored strategies co-designed by government, local authorities and communities themselves.”
The research highlights a striking divide between the factors that encourage residents to stay and those prompting them to leave.
- 36% of survey respondents said they were considering leaving their area, compared with 65% who were not.
- Out-migration is most often linked to limited healthcare, housing shortages, unreliable ferry services, and poor transport connectivity, particularly in island areas.
- Conversely, those who stay cite strong community spirit, belonging, family ties, safety, and quality of life as key reasons for remaining.
- 70% of respondents said their communities need more newcomers, but stressed that affordable housing, better employment opportunities and improved services are essential to make this possible.
The study also draws lessons from international case studies, showing how other rural regions have faced similar challenges.
- In Canada, community-driven integration schemes demonstrate the value of strong local involvement and adequate national support.
- In Sweden, targeted repopulation programmes revealed that retention can be more challenging than recruitment.
- In Croatia, policies focusing on encouraging young former residents to return showed partial success but highlighted the need for deeper structural support.
Based on these insights, the researchers recommend a two-tier approach for Scotland:
- Retain and support the local population by improving housing, services, and infrastructure.
- Develop targeted migration programmes, including international migration, with appropriate integration support, led by local authorities and aligned with national priorities.
Dr Winship emphasised that community involvement and national support must go hand-in-hand: “Effective population strategies rely on combining local knowledge with national frameworks. Empowering communities to shape their own demographic futures, supported by flexible policy and sustainable funding, is key to ensuring Scotland’s rural and island areas can thrive.”
The Reimagined Policy Futures (ReRIC) project seeks to generate new understandings of the persistent social, economic, and demographic challenges faced by Scotland’s rural and island communities, and to support the creation of inclusive sustainable policy solutions.
The report can be found here – https://doi.org/10.58073/SRUC.30617195
Posted by SRUC News on 18/11/2025
