The Scottish Diaspora: Understanding and Engaging Scotland's Global Community

The Scottish Government’s [SG] Scottish Connections Framework underscores the profound importance of Scotland’s diaspora, envisioning it as an ‘extension of Scotland itself – our living bridge with people, organisations, and communities around the world’.1 The Scottish Connections Framework recognises that connecting with the global Scottish community brings significant benefits—not only for Scotland’s economy and culture, but also for how Scotland builds relationships and strengthens its reputation around the world. From the very beginning, this work has been supported by detailed research into Scotland’s global diaspora —the many people with Scottish roots and connections who live across the world.
This report shares new insights based on data gathered through a survey carried out in the spring and summer of 2025. The survey itself was not created just for this report: it is part of ongoing research exploring patterns of diaspora connections that had already started to emerge in an earlier study of Scots living in continental Europe.
In this report, we take a closer look at the new survey data, alongside the comments and stories shared by survey participants. Together, these help paint a picture of how Scotland’s different diasporas see their connection to Scotland, how engaged they feel, and where there might be new opportunities to strengthen those bonds in the future.