NET migration is expected to have a major impact on local communities over the next few decades, experts have said.

Figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) show that the population in East Renfrewshire is expected to grow by almost a fifth between 2016 and 2041 through net migration.

And, in Renfrewshire, a population increase of more than seven per cent is predicted.

The data shows that East Renfrewshire is expected to have the third biggest rise in Scotland due to net migration.

Net migration is the difference between the number of people coming into an area and the number leaving.

And experts are predicting that East Renfrewshire will see an even bigger change due to net migration than in Scotland’s four major cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.

The predicted population boom in both Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire is largely down to internal migration, with the number of people moving to East Renfrewshire from elsewhere in Scotland set to have rocketed by more than a fifth by 2041.

In Renfrewshire, internal migration is also expected to have gone up by more than a fifth between 2016 and 2041.

In the year to mid-2017, around 24,000 more people came to Scotland than left – and that trend is expected to continue over the next 20 years.

However, the latest net migration figure is down on the previous year. 

Amy Wilson, director of statistical and registration services at NRS, said: “This year’s review shows that, while the population of Scotland is at its highest ever, at 5.42 million, and has grown by five per cent over the last decade, this growth rate has slowed.

“Over the latest year, Scotland’s population has grown at a slower rate than on average over the past 10 years.

“This is because of reduced migration levels, as well as an increase in the number of deaths and decrease in the number of births.”

Net migration from overseas is expected to have dropped slightly in East Renfrewshire by 2041, while a slight rise is predicted in Renfrewshire.

In East Renfrewshire, net migration from the rest of the UK is expected to drop slightly too, while a small increase is predicted in Renfrewshire.

The study showed that most people moving to Scotland come from the rest of the UK.

Scotland’s overall population is expected to rise to 5.58 million in 2026 and 5.69 million by 2041. 

The latest report also shows that EU nationals make up 62 per cent of the non-British population of Scotland.