Scotland Census 2022 Results

Why Scotland's Census is Different

Scotland has always conducted its own census separately from England and Wales. While both censuses share a common purpose — counting the population and gathering demographic data — they differ in timing, methodology, and the organisation responsible:

• England and Wales: Census 2021, conducted 21 March 2021, managed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
• Scotland: Census 2022, conducted 20 March 2022, managed by National Records of Scotland (NRS)

Scotland postponed its census by one year because of COVID-19 disruption. This means Scotland's data is not directly time-comparable with England and Wales — there is a one-year gap. The question sets are also slightly different: Scotland asks about Gaelic and Scots language ability, and uses different ethnic group categories.

Population Headlines

Scotland's Census 2022 recorded a usually resident population of 5,436,600 — an increase of 2.5% from 5.30 million in 2011. This growth rate was well below the England and Wales rate of 6.3%, continuing a long-term pattern of slower population growth in Scotland.

Indicator	Scotland	England & Wales (2021)
Total population	5,436,600	56,489,800
Population growth (since 2011)	+2.5%	+6.3%
Median age	42	40
Born outside UK	11.0%	17.4%
White: Scottish/British	87.4%	74.4% (White British)
Home ownership	62.0%	61.3%

Where the Growth Happened

Growth was concentrated in and around Edinburgh and the central belt:

1. Edinburgh — +8.0% (from 477,000 to 515,500). Scotland's capital is its fastest-growing city, driven by its tech sector, financial services, festivals economy, and university population.
2. East Lothian — +8.5%. New housing developments for Edinburgh commuters.
3. Midlothian — +13.4%. The fastest-growing council area in Scotland, driven by new housing estates south of Edinburgh.
4. Glasgow — +4.7% (from 593,200 to 621,000). Growth was modest compared to Edinburgh, reflecting Glasgow's different economic trajectory.

Population Decline

Several council areas lost population:

• Inverclyde — -5.5% (the steepest decline in Scotland, continuing decades of post-industrial population loss)
• Argyll and Bute — -3.6%
• Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) — -3.1%
• Dumfries and Galloway — -1.6%

The Highland and Islands council areas face a demographic challenge: ageing populations, young people leaving for cities, and limited immigration to replace them.

Age Structure

Scotland is older than England and Wales:

• Median age: 42 (vs. 40 in England and Wales)
• Under 15: 16.0% of the population
• 65 and over: 19.6% (vs. 18.4% in England and Wales)
• 85 and over: 2.3%

Scotland's older age profile reflects lower birth rates, lower immigration (compared to London and the South East), and outmigration of young adults to England for work.

Council-Level Variation

• Youngest: Glasgow (median age 36), Edinburgh (37), Dundee (38)
• Oldest: Dumfries and Galloway (49), Argyll and Bute (49), Na h-Eileanan Siar (48)

The urban-rural divide in Scotland's age profile is stark. Glasgow and Edinburgh have university-age and early-career populations that compress the median age. Rural and island councils have median ages approaching 50, with high old-age dependency ratios that put pressure on health and social care services.

Ethnic Diversity

Scotland is less ethnically diverse than England and Wales, but diversity is increasing:

• White: Scottish: 76.4%
• White: Other British: 7.6%
• White: Polish: 1.4%
• White: Other: 3.5%
• Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: 4.4% (up from 2.7% in 2011)
• African, Caribbean or Black: 1.3%
• Mixed or multiple ethnic groups: 0.9%

Glasgow and Edinburgh

The two cities account for the majority of Scotland's ethnic minority population:

Glasgow — 68.3% White Scottish, 7.9% Asian (predominantly Pakistani, Indian, and Chinese), 3.2% African/Caribbean/Black. Glasgow has historically been Scotland's most diverse city, with established South Asian communities in the Southside (Pollokshields, Govanhill) dating back to the 1950s. Govanhill is one of the most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in Scotland, with significant Roma and Eastern European populations.

Edinburgh — 70.2% White Scottish, 6.7% Asian, 2.5% African. Edinburgh's diversity is driven more by international migration (EU nationals, East Asian students and professionals) than by established heritage communities.

Polish Community

Scotland's Polish community is significant: 1.4% of the total population (approximately 76,000 people), making it the largest single non-British ethnic group. Polish migration peaked in the mid-2000s after EU accession and has declined somewhat since Brexit. The community is distributed across Scotland, including in smaller towns and rural areas where Poles work in food processing, agriculture, and hospitality.

Housing and Tenure

Scotland's housing market has distinctive features:

Tenure	Scotland %	England & Wales %
Owned outright	31.0%	30.7%
Owned with mortgage	31.0%	30.6%
Social rented	22.5%	16.4%
Private rented	13.9%	20.3%

Scotland has a higher proportion of social rented housing than England and Wales (22.5% vs. 16.4%), reflecting Scotland's distinct housing policy. The Scottish Government has been building more social housing per capita than England, and Right to Buy was abolished in Scotland in 2016. The private rented sector is smaller (13.9% vs. 20.3%), though it has grown significantly in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Flat vs. House

Scotland has a much higher proportion of flats than England. Tenement flats (a traditional Scottish building type, typically 3–4 storeys) account for a large share of housing in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, and Aberdeen. Nationally, approximately 38% of dwellings in Scotland are flats, compared to about 22% in England.

Health

Scotland reports worse health outcomes than England and Wales:

• 47.6% reported "very good" health (vs. 48.5% in England and Wales)
• 6.6% reported "bad" or "very bad" health (vs. 5.3%)

Scotland has higher rates of premature mortality, mental health conditions, drug-related deaths, and alcohol-related hospital admissions than England. The "Scottish effect" — excess mortality in Scotland compared to what would be expected based on deprivation levels alone — has been documented by researchers at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health.

Glasgow's Health Challenge

Glasgow has the worst health outcomes of any major UK city. Male life expectancy in the most deprived parts of Glasgow is approximately 67 years — over 12 years lower than the Scottish average. Drug-related deaths in Scotland reached record levels in the early 2020s, disproportionately concentrated in Glasgow and the former industrial towns of west-central Scotland.

Economy and Qualifications

Scotland has relatively high qualification levels:

• 34.7% hold a degree or higher (slightly above the England and Wales average of 33.8%)
• 17.8% have no qualifications

Scotland's qualification profile is boosted by its large university sector — Scotland has 19 higher education institutions for a population of 5.4 million, proportionally more than England. The four ancient universities (St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh) and the modern university sector collectively graduate approximately 80,000 students per year.

Economic Activity

The Census 2022 captured Scotland's economy in a period of post-COVID recovery. Key indicators:

• Economic activity rate: 74.1% of working-age adults
• Unemployment: 3.8%
• Major sectors: Financial services (Edinburgh), energy (Aberdeen — oil and gas, now transitioning to renewables), life sciences (Dundee), food and drink (distilling, agriculture)

Aberdeen and the Oil Economy

Aberdeen's population (228,800) was essentially flat between 2011 and 2022, reflecting the downturn in the North Sea oil and gas sector. The 2014–2016 oil price crash led to significant job losses, and while the sector has partially recovered, the long-term transition to renewables is changing Aberdeen's economic base. Census data shows a decline in the proportion of workers in the "mining and quarrying" industry classification, partially offset by growth in renewable energy roles.

Language

The 2022 Census asked about Gaelic and Scots language ability — questions not asked in the England and Wales census.

Gaelic

• 87,100 people (1.7% of the population) reported some ability in Gaelic (understanding, speaking, reading, or writing)
• 57,400 said they could speak Gaelic
• Gaelic speakers are concentrated in the Western Isles (60.8% of the population), Highland, and Argyll and Bute
• Glasgow has the largest absolute number of Gaelic speakers outside the Highlands, driven by Gaelic-medium education and cultural institutions

Scots

• 1.54 million people (30.4%) reported they could understand, speak, read, or write Scots
• Highest concentrations were in the north-east (Aberdeenshire, Moray) where Doric Scots is widely spoken

Deprivation: Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD)

Scotland publishes its own deprivation index, the SIMD, at Data Zone level (equivalent to LSOAs in England). The most recent version is SIMD 2020, which uses slightly different domains and weightings from the English IMD but measures similar dimensions of disadvantage.

The most deprived areas in Scotland are concentrated in:

• Glasgow — accounts for approximately 30% of the most deprived 15% of Data Zones
• Dundee — high deprivation in central and eastern wards
• Inverclyde — Greenock and Port Glasgow
• North Ayrshire — Irvine and Kilwinning
• West Dunbartonshire — Clydebank and Dumbarton

Frequently Asked Questions

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