The number of people dying in East Ayrshire outstripped those being born last year.

Figures released by the National Records of Scotland last week show that in 2019, 1,499 people lost their lives in East Ayrshire.

By this measure, the figures suggest a decline in the overall population of the area when considered against the number of live births during the same time period, 1,176 leaving a net loss of 323 people.

Other factors to consider when assessing the overall population levels are the number of people migrating to and from the area.

The latest data from NRS shows that from June 2018 to June 2019, 3,520 people moved into East Ayrshire and 3,090 moved out totalling 430 people as net migration.

Combined with the figures from births and deaths this shows that overall the population of East Ayrshire increased by 107 people.

The majority of those moving to East Ayrshire came from within Scotland, 2,720, with 690 coming from the rest of the UK and 110 from overseas.

The report also shows that population levels have remained fairly stable in the region for the past 10 years with a net loss of just 100 people from 2009 to 2019.

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