Statistics published yesterday by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) show the population of Scotland is projected to rise from 5.35 million in 2014 to 5.51 million over the next ten years, and then to continue to rise to 5.7 million by 2039 – an increase of seven per cent over the 25 year period.

Registrar General and NRS chief executive, Tim Ellis, said: “The latest population projections indicate that while Scotland’s population is expected to reach record levels for years to come, it is not projected to be quite as high as the previous set of projections suggested.

“Scotland’s population is projected to continue to rise into the future because although Scotland’s birth rate and inward net migration levels have recently fallen, they are still high by historic standards. Also people at older ages are expected to live longer.”

Separate figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that the population of the UK as a whole will jump by almost 10 million by 2040.

More than two thirds of the projected rise from 64.6 million in mid-2014 to 74.3 million in 2039 is due to assumed net migration and the indirect impact of people arriving on the birth rate.

It means that over the next quarter of a century the number of people in the country is set to increase by the approximate equivalent of the current population of Sweden.

The ONS also said the population is projected to reach 70 million by mid 2027, while it will rise by 4.4 million over the next decade.

Statisticians also projected that Britain’s society will continue ageing, with more than one in 12 people aged 80 or over by 2039.