Martin Geissler explores the consequences of a falling birth rate and an increasing older population, and the impact on the health and prosperity of Scotland. In the cycle of life, birth and years of good health are often followed by poor health and death. It’s the job of the National Records of Scotland to track this information so that plans can be made to support the population’s needs, both now and in the future. Scotland is facing several challenges in that regard, with fewer babies being born and people living longer.

In the first of a two-part documentary, Martin Geissler explores the profound impact on Scotland of the movement of people, both within the nation and of its new arrivals. Shifts in population have profound effects on the country. Places like Inverclyde, where shipbuilding once sustained a thriving community, now face the challenge of attracting people to the area to reverse decades of population decline. Elsewhere, such as Edinburgh and the Lothians, huge housing developments are being built to meet the demands of a capital city whose population is on the up.