When the United Nations was formed there were just over 50 independent countries in the world. Today, that figure has risen to almost 200.
Scotland’s population places us at exactly the mid-point among those countries: half the countries in the world are bigger – and half are smaller – than Scotland.
Of the 10 countries that joined the European Union in 2004, most became independent after 1990, and Scotland is bigger than six of them. All of these nations now have a seat at the EU top table, a right Scotland should enjoy too.
According to the International Monetary Fund our near neighbours Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Ireland (all of a similar size to Scotland) are wealthier than the UK – Scotland has as much going for it as any of these nations, except being independent.
