As well as updating the earlier work, this report has additional elements which give a more detailed and sophisticated picture of rural Scotland.
Population growth continues in most parts of rural Scotland, mainly fuelled by in-migration.
A higher proportion of elderly people live in rural Scotland, especially southern Scotland, and the proportion of elderly in-migrants is increasing. All rural districts experienced net in-migration, and the majority of immigrants are of working age and employed. The service sector is overwhelmingly important in all of rural Scotland, making up over two-thirds of all jobs. In rural Scotland prices tend to be higher and earnings lower. There are shortages of affordable housing, both for rent and purchase, as well as a greater incidence of older dwellings in rural Scotland of below tolerable standard.