Population statistics for Tiree 1747-2001
Transcription of the population statistics for Tiree 1747-2001.
The population of Tiree during the Iron Age (600 BC – 400 AD) has been estimated to have been around a thousand. During the Middle Ages the number of islanders probably remained fairly constant.
At the end of the 18th century the population soared due to smallpox vaccination, the introduction of potatoes and the sudden wealth produced by the kelp industry. It continued to increase by around five hundred per decade until the potato blight hit the island in1846. There was enormous distress and a surge in emigration.
The sustained decline in numbers continued throughout the 20th century as islanders left for Glasgow and other mainland destinations. The 2001 census, however, shows a modest increase in population.