‘Low’ Fertility and Population Replacement in Scotland

It has been argued that Scotland faces population ageing and decline that will have potentially serious economic and social consequences, and that the origin of these process lie in its low and declining fertility rates. This paper argues that low fertility is not the problem it is purported to be, and that pro-natalism is both undesirable and unnecessary. It suggests that low fertility and population ageing are positive developments, and that what is distinctive about Scotland is not any shortage of births but an excess of early deaths. ‘Low’ Fertility and Population Replacement in Scotland. ‘The future never resembles the past’ (Keynes 1937:13)