Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross covers much of the West Highlands, an area which includes some of Scotland's most stunning scenery.
The population of Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross has shown steady, sometimes spectacular growth over the last 30 years, although many smaller rural communities have lost population to the larger centres.
Much of the overall increase has been fuelled by immigration, particularly people retiring to the area. Many young people continue to leave in pursuit of tertiary education.
Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross is the area in Scotland which sends the highest percentage of its school students to university. While this is a tribute to a well-educated population, it also highlights the lack of opportunity for vocational training in the area, and the narrowness of the local economic base.
The result is a skewed demographic chart with a 'missing generation' of young people, and a population older than the Highlands and Islands average. The population overall is widely dispersed, with many living in remote scattered communities where population density is among the lowest on the country.
The figures present two important challenges. First, of all the areas in the Highlands and Islands, Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross has the highest number of its overall population and businesses living in fragile areas. Second, it reinforces the importance of the educational sector, whether this be the establishment of the West Highland College or the achievement of full university status by UHI, the prospective University of the Highlands and Islands.
