The United Kingdom - 1416 Words

In the United Kingdom, a census was taken every 10 years starting from 1801. With the exception of 1941 due to the Second World War, the census kept a very good idea of the current population and assisted in predicting futures sizes. Population data for years prior to the census was provided from directories and gazetteers as many churches took number on the size of its inhabitants. Estimated in the 1500s, Scotland had a population of 500,000 persons, and according to the 2011 census, the country has reached an extraordinary 5,295,000 persons. As of 2012, the birth rate was 11 births/1,000 people and a death rate of 10.5 deaths/1,000 people – this suggests that the population growth is rather relaxed since almost as many are born and die†¦show more content†¦The ratio of male to female has roughly been the same for the last seventy years, in favor of the females- 51%:49%. Divided amongst three age groups, Scotland has split the population by work-status; 17% aged unde r 16 (unable to work full-time), 65% aged 16-64 (potentially full-time workers) and 18% aged 65 and over (retirees). Furthermore, the end-tail of the retiree column has been growing in recent times as the number of males over 100 years of age has more than doubled between the years of 2003 and 2013. Formerly only 60 persons reached this age in a generation have now escalated to 130 males. The females, starting off substantially higher than the males, have risen as well. In 2003, there were 470 females over the age of 100 in a single generation. That number is now 720 during the same period as the 130 males. Obviously on a global scale, developed nations are living longer due to better health, better lifestyles and also medical assistance. These figures do not go into detail whether these men and women are free or are in a vegetative state, being kept alive via machine. Although not the main reason why the nation’s older population is living longer, it is certainly a contribu ting factor that Scotland s leading causes of death- including cancer, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke- are declining and stem from the impact of lifestyle