Scottish diaspora

Scottish diaspora
Grave of the MacFarland sisters of Edinburgh, British Cemetery of Funchal, Madeira
Total population
c. 28–40 million worldwideA[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Scotland   4,446,000 (2011)
(Scottish descent only.)[2]
 United StatesB5,393,554 – 6,006,955[3][4]
 CanadaC4,719,850[5]
 AustraliaH1,792,600[6]
 EnglandD795,000
 Argentina100,000[7]
 Brazil80,000
 France45,000
 Poland15,000
 New ZealandF12,792[8]
 South AfricaF11,160
 Isle of Man2,403[9]
 Hong KongG1,459[10][11][12]
 Philippines1,403
 Norway1,400
 Spain1,390
 Netherlands1,380
  Switzerland1,377
 Germany1,373
 Italy1,370
 Sweden1,367
Languages
Scottish English • Scottish Gaelic • Scots
Religion
Presbyterianism • Roman Catholicism • Episcopalianism • deists
A These figures are estimates based on official
 census data of populations and official surveys of
 identity.[13][14][15][16]
B Scottish Americans and Scotch-Irish Americans.
C Scottish Canadians.
D Scottish-born people in England only
E Ulster-Scots
F missing
G Number of people born in Scotland. missing
HScottish Australians

The Scottish diaspora consists of Scottish people who emigrated from Scotland and their descendants. The diaspora is concentrated in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, England, New Zealand, Ireland and to a lesser extent Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. The Scottish diaspora has been estimated by the Scottish Government to be between 28 and 40 million people worldwide.[1] Other estimates have ranged as high as 80 million.[17]

According to Marjory Harper (2003) of the University of Aberdeen, Scottish emigrants and their descendants have maintained connections to Scotland though formal and informal means including "church, school and Scottish society" and "place names, correspondence, family and community networks, and chain migration".[18] Rogers Brubaker (2005) wrote that immigrants from Scotland have regarded the ancestral homeland as "an authoritative source of value, identity and loyalty".[19] According to Lauren Brancaz (2016) of the Centre for Breton and Celtic Research: "Scottish culture has not been contained within the borders of Scotland. It has lived on in the minds of migrants who have remained attached to it".[20]

  1. ^ a b "The Scottish Diaspora and Diaspora Strategy: Insights and Lessons from Ireland". Gov.scot. Scottish Government. May 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  2. ^ "Statistical Bulletins - Scotland Census 2011". Scotlandscensus.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  3. ^ American Community Survey 2008 Archived 28 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine by the US Census Bureau estimates 5,827,046 people claiming Scottish ancestry and 3,538,444 people claiming Scotch-Irish ancestry.
  4. ^ "Who are the Scots-Irish?". Parade.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  5. ^ The 2006 Canadian Census Archived 23 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine gives a total of 4,719,850 respondents stating their ethnic origin as Scottish. Many respondents may have misunderstood the question and the numerous responses for "Canadian" does not give an accurate figure for numerous groups, particularly those of British Isles origins.
  6. ^ "ABS Ancestry". Abs.gov.au. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2012.
  7. ^ Gilchrist, Jim (14 December 2008). "Stories of Homecoming - We're on the march with Argentina's Scots". The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  8. ^ [1] [dead link]
  9. ^ "Isle of Man Census Report 2006" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Scotland analysis: Borders and citizenship" (PDF). Gov.uk. p. 70. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Scotland's Diaspora and Overseas-Born Population" (PDF). Gov.scot. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  12. ^ Scottish Government, St Andrew's House (5 October 2009). "Scotland's Diaspora and Overseas-Born Population". Gov.scot. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Friends Of Scotland". Friendsofscotland.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  14. ^ The Ancestral Scotland website states the following: "Scotland is a land of 5.1 million people. A proud people, passionate about their country and her rich, noble heritage. For every single Scot in their native land, there are thought to be at least five more overseas who can claim Scottish ancestry; that's many millions spread throughout the globe."] Ancestralscotland.com
  15. ^ "History, Tradition and roots, ancestry". Scotland.org. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  16. ^ "Mediaoffice - news". Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
  17. ^ Leith, Murray S.; Sim, Duncan (11 April 2022). "'Will ye no' come back again?': Population challenge and diaspora policy in Scotland". Population, Space and Place. 28 (7): 5. doi:10.1002/psp.2572. Citing: McAskill, Kenny; McLeish, Henry (2007). Wherever the Saltire Flies. Luath.
  18. ^ Harper, Marjory (2003). Adventurers and Exiles: The Great Scottish Exodus. London: Profile Books. p. 370. ISBN 9781861973047. Quoted in: Brancaz, Lauren Ann-Killian (2016). "The Homecoming of Tartan: How Scotland and North America Collaborate in Shaping Tartan". Études écossaises (18). pp. 69–87, para. 4. doi:10.4000/etudesecossaises.1074. S2CID 131473903.
  19. ^ Brubaker, Rogers (2005). "The 'Diaspora' Diaspora". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 28 (1): 5. doi:10.1080/0141987042000289997. S2CID 17914353. Quoted in: Brancaz (2016), para. 7.
  20. ^ Brancaz (2016), para. 7.