Aberdeen has witnessed the largest increase in immigration of anywhere in Scotland in the last decade, according to a new report.
The number of people from outside the UK living in the Granite City more than doubled between 2001 and 2011, growing by 167%.
The huge rise was the highest in Scotland, and Aberdeen also had the largest number of migrants in terms of population share, at 16%.
Overall, the Oxford University analysis of the 2011 Scotland census figures showed that the nation’s foreign-born population increased by 93% during the period, more than the 61% in England, 82% in Wales or the 72% in Northern Ireland.
The sharp growth has been fuelled by a twenty-fold or 2,105%, rise in the Polish population in Scotland, which increased from 2,505 in 2001 to 55,231 in 2011.
Poles in Scotland now outnumber Indians, the second largest group of migrants, by more than two-to-one.
Despite the rapid rise, the study also confirmed that the proportion of migrants in Scotland’s population, 7%, remained well below that of England and Wales, where it was 13%.
Robert Collier, chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said action was needed to improve services for migrants.
“It is not surprising to see such a high level of migration to the north-east due to the large number of job opportunities on offer, buoyant economy and good quality of life,” he said.
“However, if the region is to maximise its growth potential we need to see a co-ordinated approach for ensuring migrants, whether they are from elsewhere in the UK or abroad, have access to housing, affordable childcare, and good transport links.
“Research conducted by the chamber as part of North-East Business Week this year showed that many businesses regarded these issues as the main barriers to attracting people to the region.”
Carlos Vargas-Silva, who carried out the research at Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, said: “While Scotland still has a much smaller foreign-born population than England, it has almost doubled in a decade.
“Scotland started with a much smaller migrant population than England, both numerically and in terms of its share of the overall population. Smaller numerical growth can be bigger growth in percentage terms. There has been a large increase in the migrant population especially in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.”