Census results raise population concerns for Orkney's Community Planning Partnership

Action must be taken to reduce a potential decline in Orkney’s population by 2043. 

That’s the message from two recent publications by Orkney’s Community Planning Partnership – the Orkney Community Plan for 2025 to 2030 and a report on the population findings of the 2022 census. 

Orkney’s Community Planning Partnership brings together all the major public sector organisations, including Orkney Islands Council, NHS Orkney Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, with the voluntary and business sectors, to solve problems that no single agency could resolve by themselves. 

The 2022 census return identified two areas of significant concern for the Partnership – that the growth in Orkney’s population has slowed and may have stalled, and that Orkney’s population is older than the average for Scotland.

The key findings of the population report were that: 

• From 2001 to 2011, Orkney’s population grew by 11%. Between 2011 to 2022, this growth slowed to 3%, and between 2022 and 2023, it appears to have stalled. 

• The population of the ferry linked isles dropped by 5.2% between 2011 and the 2022 census results. 

• 49% of Orkney’s population is aged 50 or above compared to the national average figure of 42%. On the ferry-linked isles, 60% of residents fall into this category. 

• Only 7% of Orkney’s population is aged between 16 and 24 years, compared to 11% for Scotland as a whole. 

The report concluded that without significant inward migration, Orkney’s population will decline by 2.7% by 2043. 

The National Records of Scotland predict that in this period the number of children (0-15) will decrease by 34% and the number of those aged 75 and over will grow by 86%.

The five-year Orkney Community Plan has taken these results into consideration and will help to address these and other challenges, including geographic isolation, underemployment, and our higher cost of living. 

The plan also highlights Orkney’s unique opportunities including strong community organisations, and our potential for sustainable economic growth.

The plan focuses on four priorities to make Orkney a better place to live: 

1. Population Health – Improving the health of Orkney’s population and reducing health inequities.
2. Cost of Living – Tackling the cost-of-living crisis and the underlying causes of poverty.
3. Sustainable Development – Supporting economic growth that benefits local people and protects the environment.
4. Inequalities – Addressing differences in life outcomes across Orkney, including for residents in the ferry-linked isles. 

The plan includes a focus on preventative measures, such as early financial advice and preventive health initiatives, so people get the help when they need it and not when it is too late. This will also reduce long-term pressures on public services and mean better services for all.

Councillor Heather Woodbridge, Chair of the Orkney Community Planning Partnership Board and Leader of Orkney Islands Council, said: “This plan reflects our commitment to working together as a community to tackle the complex issues facing Orkney. By uniting public services, the voluntary sector, and local businesses, we can create meaningful change that benefits all.”

Morven Brooks, Vice Chair of the Partnership and Chief Executive of Voluntary Action Orkney, added: “The Orkney Community Plan 2025-2030 is a roadmap for positive change. It reflects our shared vision, and the collective effort of all partners involved in its development.”

The population report and the Orkney Community Plan are both published on the partnership’s website here: https://www.orkneycommunities.co.uk/COMMUNITYPLANNING/