 In the 2011 census, 16% of the population of Scotland described themselves as being Catholic, compared with 32% affiliated with the Church of Scotland.Many Catholics are Scottish Highland minorities or the descendants of Irish immigrants and of Highland migrants who moved to Scotland's cities and towns during the 19th century, especially when there was a famine in Ireland.However, there are significant numbers of Italian, Lithuanian, and Polish descent, with more recent Polish immigrants again boosting the numbers of continental Catholic Europeans in Scotland.