Editing Outer Hebrides (section)

== Population ==
[[File:LewsCastle.jpg|thumb|[[Lews Castle]], [[Stornoway]]]]
{{Historical populations
|type =
|footnote =<ref name=NRS>{{cite web |title=Statistical Bulletins |url=http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/statistical-bulletins}} {{cite web |title=2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland - Release 1C (Part Two) |url=http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/documents/censusresults/release1c/rel1c2sb.pdf |publisher=[[National Records of Scotland]] |date=15 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/factfile/population/ |title=Factfile - Population of Outer Hebrides |access-date=10 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910220714/http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/factfile/population/ |archive-date=10 September 2017 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/factfile/documents/OHFactCards2012.pdf| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923205035/http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/factfile/documents/OHFactCards2012.pdf |archive-date=23 September 2015 |title= Outer Hebrides Facts | access-date = 27 July 2014| url-status = dead}}</ref>
|1861 | 36319
|1901 | 46172
|1951 | 35591
|1961 | 32609
|1971 | 29891
|1981 | 30702
|1991 | 29600
|2001 | 26502
|2011 | 27684
}}

The islands' total population was 26,502 at the 2001 census, and the 2011 figure was 27,684.<ref name=NRS /> During the same period [[List of Scottish islands|Scottish island]] populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23711202 "Scotland's 2011 census: Island living on the rise"]. BBC News. Retrieved 18 August 2013.</ref> The largest settlement in the Outer Hebrides is [[Stornoway]] on Lewis,<ref name=Pop11>[http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/factfile/population/ "Factfile:Population"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910220714/http://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/factfile/population/ |date=10 September 2017 }}. {{lang|gd|Comhairle nan Eilean Siar}}. Retrieved 20 July 2013.</ref><ref name=GRO>{{cite web |publisher=General Register Office for Scotland |date=28 November 2003 |url=http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/census/censushm/occpapers/occasional-paper-10/index.html |title=Scotland's Census 2001 Statistics for Inhabited Islands |access-date=26 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407021425/http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/stats/occasional-papers/occ-paper-10-inhabited-islands.pdf |archive-date=7 April 2012}}</ref> which has a population of about 8,100.<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 296</ref>

The population estimate for 2019 was 26,720 according to a Comhairle nan Eilean Siar report which added that "the population of the Outer Hebrides is ageing" and that "young adults [...] leave the islands for further education or employment purposes". Of the total population, 6,953 people reside in the "Stornoway settlement Laxdale (Lacasdal), Sandwick (Sanndabhaig) and Newmarket" with the balance distributed over 280 townships.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/strategy-performance-and-research/outer-hebrides-factfile/population/overview/| title = Overview| access-date = 18 February 2021| archive-date = 7 October 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221007021641/https://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/strategy-performance-and-research/outer-hebrides-factfile/population/overview/| url-status = dead}}</ref>

In addition to the major North Ford (''{{lang|gd|Oitir Mhòr}}'') and South Ford causeways that connect North Uist to Benbecula via the northern of the [[Grimsay]]s, and another causeway from Benbecula to South Uist, several other islands are linked by smaller causeways or bridges. [[Great Bernera]] and [[Scalpay, Outer Hebrides|Scalpay]] have bridge connections to Lewis and Harris respectively, with causeways linking [[Baleshare]] and [[Berneray, North Uist|Berneray]] to North Uist; [[Eriskay]] to South Uist; {{lang|gd|[[Flodaigh]]}}, {{lang|gd|[[Fraoch-Eilean]]}} and the southern [[Grimsay, South East Benbecula|Grimsay]] to Benbecula; and the [[Vatersay Causeway]] linking [[Vatersay]] to Barra.<ref name=OS>[http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/ "Get-a-map"]. [[Ordnance Survey]]. Retrieved 1–15 August 2009.</ref><ref name=calmac>[http://www.shipsofcalmac.co.uk/h_hebrides1.asp "Fleet Histories"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711041045/http://www.shipsofcalmac.co.uk/h_hebrides1.asp |date=11 July 2017 }} [[Caledonian MacBrayne]]. Retrieved 3 August 2009.</ref><ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 205, 253</ref> This means that all the inhabited islands are now connected to at least one other island by a land transport route.

[[File:Scots Gaelic speakers in the 2011 census.png|thumb|upright=0.8|Geographic distribution of Gaelic speakers in Scotland (2011)]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!colspan=2|Island name
!colspan=2|Population
!rowspan=2|2011 Gaelic<br />speakers<ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite news |language=gd |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/naidheachdan/24954480/ |title=Crìonadh mòr sa Ghàidhlig anns na h-Eileanan |trans-title=A significant decline in Gaelic in the Outer Hebrides |date=15 November 2013 |department=Naidheachdan [News] |publisher=BBC}}</ref>
|-
!English
!Gaelic
!2011<ref name=NRS/>
!2001<ref name=GRO/>
|-
| rowspan=2 | [[Lewis and Harris]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Leòdhas}}''
| rowspan=2 | {{nts|21031}}
| {{nts|18500}}<br />([[Isle of Lewis|Lewis]])
| 
{| class="wikitable"
! Parish !!Speakers
|-
| {{lang|gd|[[Stornoway|Steòrnabhagh]]}} || 43%  (5,492)
|-
| {{lang|gd|[[Barvas|Barabhas]]}} || 64%  (2,037)
|-
| {{lang|gd|[[North Lochs|Ceann a Tuath nan Loch]]}} || 53%  (942)
|-
| {{lang|gd|[[Uig, Lewis|Ùig]]}} || 56%  (873)
|-
! Total !! 49%  (9,344)
|}
|-
| ''{{lang|gd|Na Hearadh}}''
| {{nts|1916}}<br />([[Harris, Scotland|Harris]])
| 60%  (1,212)
|-
| [[South Uist]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Uibhist a Deas}}''
| {{nts|1754}}
| {{nts|1818}}
| 60%  (1,888 incl. Benbecula)
|-
| [[North Uist]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Uibhist a Tuath}}''
| {{nts|1254}}
| {{nts|1271}}
| 61%  (887)
|-
| [[Benbecula]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Beinn nam Fadhla}}''
| {{nts|1303}}
| {{nts|1219}}
|60%  (1,888 with South Uist)
|-
| [[Barra]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Barraigh}}''
| {{nts|1174}}
| {{nts|1078}}
| 62%  (761)
|-
| [[Scalpay, Outer Hebrides|Scalpay]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Sgalpaigh}}''
| {{nts|291}}
| {{nts|322}}
|
|-
| [[Great Bernera]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Beàrnaraigh Mòr}}''
| {{nts|252}}
| {{nts|233}}
|
|-
| [[Grimsay]] (north)
| ''{{lang|gd|Griomasaigh}}''
| {{nts|169}}
| {{nts|201}}
|
|-
| [[Berneray, North Uist|Berneray]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Beàrnaraigh}}''
| {{nts|138}}
| {{nts|136}}
|
|-
| [[Eriskay]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Èirisgeigh}}''
| {{nts|143}}
| {{nts|133}}
|
|-
| [[Vatersay]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Bhatarsaigh}}''
| {{nts|90}}
| {{nts|94}}
|
|-
| [[Baleshare]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Baile Sear}}''
| {{nts|58}}
| {{nts|49}}
|
|-
| [[Grimsay, South East Benbecula|Grimsay]] (south)
| ''{{lang|gd|Griomasaigh}}''
| {{nts|20}}
| {{nts|19}}
|
|-
| {{lang|gd|[[Flodaigh]]}}
| ''{{lang|gd|Flodaigh}}''
| {{nts|7}}
| {{nts|11}}
|
|-
| {{lang|gd|[[Fraoch-Eilean]]}}
| ''{{lang|gd|Fraoch-Eilean}}''
| {{ntsh|0}}?{{#tag:ref|This tidal isle is at ({{gbmapping|NF860580)}} and the evidence of both Ordnance Survey maps and photographs (e.g. [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/445166 "Houses on {{lang|gd|Seana Bhaile|nocat=y}}"] Geograph. Retrieved 10 August 2009) indicates a resident population. There is even a name, ''{{lang|gd|Seana Bhaile}}'' (English: "Old Town") for the main settlement. However, neither the census nor the main reference work (Haswell-Smith 2004) refer to the island. Its population is presumably included in nearby Grimsay by the census.|group="Note"}}
| {{ntsh|0}}?
|
|-
!Total
!
! {{nts|27684}}
! {{nts|26502}}
! 52% (14,248)
|}