FOR more than 20 years the population of Inverclyde has been declining and in a special series this week the Tele will examine the impact of this on the community.

Population levels may have an impact on economy, job opportunities, and funding, for example. And the Tele wants to shine a light on the area’s steady depopulation to spark a discussion about why it is important, how it affects people’s lives and potential solutions to boost the area’s prospects.

Our reporter investigating the issue, Norman Silvester, has spoken with business owners, entrepreneurs, the travel industry, estate agents, the local authority and many more people to find out their insights into depopulation and how it is impacting Inverclyde.

Early discussions quickly highlighted traffic as a key issue of frustration for business owners, who also have bold ideas about the need for a solution.

Our investigation is not designed to knock Inverclyde, the Tele wants to see Inverclyde flourish. And people are the most important part of that. So we want to know why are people leaving Inverclyde and what is the impact of this?

A picture of de-population

Figures obtained by the Tele from National Records of Scotland and the Office for National Statistics paint a grim picture of Inverclyde’s long term population decline.

Since 1987 the area’s total population has fallen overall - with Scotland’s population rising over the same period.

Inverclyde suffered an 8.9 per cent reduction between 2001 and 2021 and a 5.6 per cent drop between 2011 and 2021.

By 2028, Inverclyde and Western Isles are the only two councils in Scotland predicted to have more people leaving their areas than arriving.

In four years time the population of Inverclyde is projected to decrease from 78,150 in 2018 to 73,418.

A drop of 6.1 per cent compared to an estimated 1.8 per cent rise for Scotland as a whole.

By 2037 Inverclyde’s population is predicted to be 65,014 compared to 80,210 in 2013.

At present the number is around 76,500 with the largest age group in the 45-64 bracket.

There has also been a drop in births in Inverclyde in recent years.

In 2022 there were 654 compared to 902 in 2005.