Most northerly of the four parts of the United Kingdom

Demographic trends
While Scotland makes up about one-third of the area of the United Kingdom, it has less than one-tenth of the population, of which the greatest concentration (nearly three-fourths) lives in the central belt. Historically, England has been the main beneficiary of Scottish emigration, especially during economic downturns. Large-scale emigration also placed Scots in such countries as Canada, the United States, and Australia until the late 20th century; despite this phenomenon, however, the size of the Scottish population has remained relatively stable since World War II. The pattern of migration began to reverse when the North Sea petroleum industry brought many people to the northeast and the north, not only from various parts of Scotland and the United Kingdom but also from other countries, notably the United States. Scotland is now increasingly seen as an attractive place to work and live.
Economy of Scotland
During the 1970s and ’80s Scotland’s economy shared in acute form the problems besetting many European countries, brought about by rapid changes that included the widespread failure of heavy industries. Unemployment became a serious problem, especially in those areas where major industries had declined. Successive governments made efforts to improve these conditions by a variety of measures. Beginning in the 1980s, Scotland’s economy benefited from the exploitation of North Sea petroleum and natural gas and from the development of high-technology and other economic sectors.
Scotland remains a small but open economy and accounts for about 5 percent of the United Kingdom’s export revenue. Its gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is higher than in all other areas of the United Kingdom outside London and England’s eastern regions, and its level of unemployment is fairly low. However, wealth in Scotland is not evenly distributed, and the average unemployment rate hides pockets of much higher unemployment in some regions and localities. Although the British government controls Scotland’s macroeconomic policy, including central government spending, interest rates, and monetary matters, the Scottish Parliament has power over local economic development, education, and training.