Today, Scotland has a population of just over five million people, the majority of whom consider themselves Scottish. It is estimated around 40 million people worldwide claim Scottish ancestry, particularly in
Australia,
New Zealand, continental
Europe, the
United States and
Canada, along with elsewhere in the
United Kingdom. Scots have travelled internationally for centuries, helping to build Scotland's international reputation and the promotion of
Scottish culture,
music,
literature and
art. The
Scottish Government uses the term "Scottish connections" when described Scottish diaspora, and recognises Scottish connections as people of Scottish heritage (by ancestry, marriage or other family connection), lived diaspora (those who moved to Scotland to permanently reside at any time for any reason), educational diaspora (alumni of Scottish educational institutions, and Scots studying or working in international institutions) and affinity (individuals who associate themselves with a connection to Scotland. This connection may be active through cultural, linguistic, friendship, or professional links, or who may simply be interested Scotland's heritage or culture).
United States The majority of Scotch-Irish Americans originally came from Lowland Scotland and Northern England before migrating to the province of
Ulster in
Ireland (see
Plantation of Ulster) and thence, beginning about five
generations later, to North America in large numbers during the eighteenth century. In the 2000 census, 4.8 million Americans self-reported Scottish ancestry, 1.7% of the total U.S. population. Over 4.3 million self-reported
Scotch-Irish ancestry, for a total of 9.2 million Americans self-reporting some kind of Scottish descent. Self-reported numbers are regarded by demographers as massive under-counts, because Scottish ancestry is known to be disproportionately under-reported among the majority of mixed ancestry, and because areas where people reported "American" ancestry were the places where, historically, Scottish and Scotch-Irish
Protestants settled in North America (that is: along the North American coast,
Appalachia, and the Southeastern
United States). Scottish Americans descended from nineteenth-century Scottish emigrants tend to be concentrated in the West, while many in
New England are the descendants of emigrants, often Gaelic-speaking, from the
Maritime Provinces of
Canada, from the 1880s onward. Americans of Scottish descent outnumber the population of Scotland, where 4,459,071 or 88.09% of people identified as ethnic Scottish in the 2001 Census. , the inventor of
basketball. In the 2013
American Community Survey 5,310,285 identified as Scottish and 2,976,878 as of Scots-Irish descent. The number of Americans with a Scottish ancestor is estimated to be between 9 and 25 million (up to 8.3% of the total US population), and "Scotch-Irish", 27 to 30 million (up to 10% of the total US population), but these subgroups overlap and are often not distinguishable. The majority of Scotch-Irish originally came from Lowland Scotland and Northern England before migrating to the province of
Ulster in Ireland (see
Plantation of Ulster) and thence, beginning about five
generations later, to North America in large numbers during the 18th century. Several
Presidents of the United States have claimed Scottish ancestry or Scotch-Irish ancestry, including
James Monroe through his great-great-grandfather Patrick Andrew Monroe emigrated to America,
Andrew Jackson,
Theodore Roosevelt,
Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Harry S. Truman,
Lyndon B. Johnson,
Richard Nixon,
Ronald Reagan,
Bill Clinton,
George W. Bush and
Donald Trump, whose mother,
Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, was born in
Tong on the
Isle of Lewis.
Canada , where over 30% of the population are of Scottish origin. As the third-largest
ethnic group in Canada and amongst the first Europeans to settle in the country, Scottish people have made a large impact on
Canadian culture since colonial times. According to the
2011 Census of Canada, the number of Canadians claiming full or partial Scottish descent is 4,714,970, or 15.10% of the nation's total population. Many respondents may have misunderstood the question and the numerous responses for "Canadian" do not give an accurate figure for numerous groups, particularly those of British Isles origins. Scottish-Canadians are the 3rd biggest ethnic group in Canada. Scottish culture has particularly thrived in the Canadian province of
Nova Scotia (
Latin for "New Scotland"). There, in
Cape Breton, where both lowland and highland Scots settled in large numbers,
Canadian Gaelic is still spoken by a small number of residents. Cape Breton is the home of the
Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts.
Glengarry County in present-day
Eastern Ontario is a historic county that was set up as a settlement for
Highland Scots, where many from the Highlands settled to preserve their culture as a result of the Highland Clearances. Gaelic was the native language of the community since its settlement in the 18th century although the number of speakers decreased as a result of English migration. As of the modern 21st century, there are still a few Gaelic speakers in the community.
John Kenneth Galbraith in his book
The Scotch (Toronto: MacMillan, 1964) documents the descendants of 19th-century Scottish pioneers who settled in
Southwestern Ontario and affectionately referred to themselves as 'Scotch'. He states the book was meant to give a true picture of life in the community in the early decades of the 20th century.
Australia is named after Scotsman
Thomas Brisbane. By 1830, 15.11% of the colonies' total non-Aboriginal population were Scots, which increased by the middle of the century to 25,000, or 20–25% of the non-Aboriginal population. The
Australian Gold Rush of the 1850s provided a further impetus for Scottish migration: in the 1850s 90,000 Scots immigrated to Australia, far more than other British or Irish populations at the time. Literacy rates of the Scottish immigrants ran at 90–95%. By 1860, Scots made up 50% of the ethnic composition of
Western Victoria,
Adelaide,
Penola and
Naracoorte. Other settlements in
New South Wales included
New England, the
Hunter Valley and the
Illawarra. Much settlement followed the
Highland Potato Famine,
Highland Clearances and the
Lowland Clearances of the mid-19th century. In the 1840s, Scots-born immigrants constituted 12% of the non-Aboriginal population. Out of the 1.3 million migrants from Britain to Australia in the period from 1861 to 1914, 13.5% were Scots. Just 5.3% of the convicts transported to Eastern Australia between 1789 and 1852 were Scots. A steady rate of Scottish immigration continued into the 20th century and substantial numbers of Scots continued to arrive after 1945. From 1900 until the 1950s, Scots favoured New South Wales, as well as Western Australia and Southern Australia. A strong cultural Scottish presence is evident in the
Highland Games, dance,
Tartan Day celebrations, clan and Gaelic-speaking societies found throughout modern Australia. According to the
2021 Australian census, 130,060 Australian residents were born in Scotland, while 2,176,777 claimed Scottish ancestry, either alone or in combination with another ancestry. The
South Island city of
Dunedin, in particular, is known for its Scottish heritage and was named as a tribute to
Edinburgh by the city's Scottish founders. Scottish migration to New Zealand dates back to the earliest period of European colonisation, with a large proportion of
Pākehā New Zealanders being of Scottish descent. However, identification as "British" or "European" New Zealanders can sometimes obscure their origin. Many Scottish New Zealanders also have
Māori or other non-European ancestry. The majority of Scottish immigrants settled on the South Island. All over New Zealand, the Scots developed different means to bridge the old homeland and the new. Many
Caledonian societies were formed, well over 100 by the early twentieth century, that helped maintain Scottish culture and traditions. From the 1860s, these societies organised annual Caledonian Games throughout New Zealand. The Games were sports meets that brought together Scottish settlers and the wider New Zealand public. In so doing, the Games gave Scots a path to cultural integration as Scottish New Zealanders. In the 1961
census there were 47,078 people living in New Zealand who were born in Scotland; in the
2013 census there were 25,953 in this category.
United Kingdom , the first woman and the first Scottish person to be appointed the
Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom Many people of Scottish descent live in other parts of the United Kingdom. In
Ulster particularly the colonial policies of
James VI, known as the
plantation of Ulster, resulted in a
Presbyterian and Scottish society, which formed the
Ulster-Scots community. The
Protestant Ascendancy did not however benefit them much, as the ascendancy was predominantly
Anglican. The number of people of Scottish descent in England and Wales is difficult to quantify due to the many complex migrations on the island, and ancient migration patterns due to wars, famine and conquest. The 2011 Census recorded 708,872 people born in Scotland resident in England, 24,346 resident in Wales and 15,455 resident in Northern Ireland.
Northamptonshire town
Corby became a centre for Scottish migration in the 1930s. In 1961 a third of residents were born in Scotland, and in 2011 the figure was 12.7%.
Rest of Europe Other European countries have had their share of Scots immigrants. The Scots have emigrated to mainland Europe for centuries as merchants and soldiers. Many emigrated to France, Poland,
Italy, Germany, Scandinavia, Recently some scholars suggested that up to 250,000 Russian nationals may have Scottish ancestry.
Africa Scottish regiment in France, 1918 , the 12th vice-president and acting president of
Zambia from Oct 2014 – Jan 2015, is of Scottish descent. A number of Scottish people settled in South Africa in the 1800s and were known for their road-building expertise, their farming experience, and architectural skills.
Latin America The largest population of Scots in Latin America is found in
Argentina, followed by
Chile,,
Colombia and
Mexico. ==Scots in mainland Europe==