In common with many small Scottish islands , Papa Stour 's population peaked in the 19th century and has experienced a significant decline since then ( see e.g. Mingulay ) . By 1970 the island school had closed and the population had declined to sixteen ' fairly elderly ' residents , but an advertisement in Exchange and Mart reversed the decline . A croft and five sheep were offered free of charge to incomers which brought a flood of applicants . By 1981 the census recorded a population of 33 . However , by 2005 the population had fallen to 20 after serious discord between islanders led to several court cases . A number of people left the island and the school closed . By early 2008 the population had dropped to just nine after a family of seven left . The 2011 census recorded a usually resident population of 15 - during the decade 2011 @-@ 11 Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4 % to 103 @,@ 702 .