Main Points
Most people live in large urban areas (41%) and other urban areas (31%), compared with accessible rural areas (12%), accessible small towns (10%), remote rural areas (4%), and remote small towns (2%).
The number of people living in large urban areas has increased over the past decade. In contrast, the populations of remote small towns and remote rural areas have decreased.
Between mid-2014 and mid-2024 the number of children has decreased in most urban-rural categories, the exception being large urban areas where it increased slightly (+0.3%). The largest decreases have been in remote rural areas (-9.4%) and remote small towns (-10.4%).
People living in remote or rural areas tend to be older than those in urban or accessible areas. The median age of remote rural areas is 53 years, while the median age of large urban areas is 39 years.
Every council area has pockets of population growth and decline. Population growth tends to be concentrated in a relatively smaller number of data zones (for example, as a result of a new housing development there), while population decline tends to be more spread out.
The areas which saw the largest proportion of data zones increase in population were Glasgow City (58%) Stirling (50%) and City of Edinburgh (50%), and the areas with the lowest proportions were South, East and North Ayrshire (24%, 25% and 26% respectively).
Overview
Data zones are a small unit of geography which help summarise population data at a local level. They are designed to generally contain a population of around 500 to 1,000 household residents, and nest within council areas.
After each census, data zone boundaries are redrawn to better reflect recent populations. Previous small area publications used data zones based on the 2011 census. This is the first publication of population estimates for the data zones based on Scotland’s Census 2022.
Alongside this publication, statistics are also being published for mid-2011 to mid-2024 for data zones and other geographies.
Population estimates for Scotland, council areas and NHS board areas are published separately and are available up to mid-2025. The figures in this report are consistent with those Scotland, council area and NHS Board area figures up to mid-2024. Mid-2025 figures at data zone level will be published at a later date.
This publication is accompanied by interactive charts showing statistics for individual data zones, and interactive maps showing population change, population patterns by age, and geographic classifications.
Data zone populations
There are 7,392 data zones in Scotland. In mid-2024, their populations ranged from 299 to 4,324 people. Together they summed to the estimated mid-2024 population of Scotland which was 5,543,300. Figure 1 summarises the frequency of data zones by population size..
Figure 1: Most data zones (84%) have between 500 and 999 people living in them
Number of data zones by population size, mid-2024
The average (mean) data zone population was 750 people. The median population, which is the value that splits the data into the highest 50% of values and lowest 50% of values, was 727 people. This is lower than the mean because there are several very large data zones and fewer very small data zones.
The presence of large communal establishments like armed forces bases, prisons, and student accommodation can result in high data zone populations. Nine out of ten of the most populated data zones contain student halls, including the most populated data zone City Centre East - 04 in Glasgow City (4,324 people). The exception is the seventh most populated data zone, Garelochhead - 07 in Argyll and Bute, which contains His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde.
In mid-2014, an average of 721 people lived in each data zone. This number increased to 750 by mid-2024, reflecting the overall increase in Scotland’s population.
Population changes can be broken down by council area. Figure 2 shows the percentage of data zones within each council area that either increased, remained the same, or decreased in population over the decade from mid-2014 to mid-2024.
Two council areas experienced population increase in over half of their data zones (Glasgow City and Stirling). Twenty-nine out of 32 council areas experienced population decrease in over half of their data zones. In the remaining council area, City of Edinburgh, both increasing and decreasing data zones made up just under 50% of the total, along with a small number of data zones with no change.
Figure 2: Twenty-nine council areas experienced population decrease in over half of their data zones
Percentage of data zones by population change and council area, mid-2014 to mid-2024
Despite the fact that most councils have seen a majority of their data zones decrease in population between mid-2014 and mid-2024, 22 out of 32 council areas have seen their population increase overall. Similarly, while most data zones across Scotland have decreased in population, the overall population of Scotland has increased by 4% (from 5,331,400 to 5,543,300).
This is because increases in population are generally concentrated in a relatively small number of data zones. For example, a new housing development may only affect a few data zones while still causing a large number of people to move into the area. While there are some data zones that have seen large decreases (such as demolition of housing blocks), most decreases in data zone populations have been small.
Figure 3 shows that a majority of data zones (53.7%) have experienced a decrease in population of less than 100 people, while 24.3% have experienced an increase in population of less than 100 people. On the other hand, while only 0.2% of data zones have decreased by more than 300 people, 6.4% have increased by more than 300 people.
Figure 3: More data zones decreased in population than increased, but large increases were more common than large decreases
Data zones by population change, mid-2014 to mid-2024
Urban-rural populations
Data zone populations can also be aggregated to provide estimates of the populations of a range of other geographies including Scottish Parliamentary Constituencies, Westminster Parliamentary Constituencies, Electoral Wards and Urban-rural classification. We have published estimates for these areas, again covering mid-2011 to mid-2024, alongside this publication. This section provides some further analysis of the population of urban-rural classification categories. Population by deprivation, based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), cannot currently be produced for 2022 data zones as the latest SIMD is based on 2011 data zones.
The Scottish Government’s Urban Rural Classification categorises each data zone in terms of how urban or rural, and how accessible the land area is. This helps us understand demographic patterns by area type. More information about the methodology underlying the Urban Rural Classification can be found on the Scottish government website.
Using the 6-fold classification system, Figure 4 highlights the percentage of the population who lived in each area type in mid-2024. It shows that 41% (2,288,650) of people lived in large urban areas, while just 2% (105,055) lived in remote small towns. The majority of Scotland’s population lived in urban areas (72%).
Figure 4: The majority of Scotland’s population lived in urban areas
Scotland’s population by 6-fold Urban Rural Classification, mid-2024
On average, people in urban areas tend to be younger and people in rural areas tend to be older. Figure 5 shows that 29% of the population of remote rural areas are aged 65 and over – a higher proportion than any other area type. The lowest proportion aged 65 and over is in large urban areas (17%).
The proportions of the population aged 16 to 64 follow the opposite pattern, with the highest proportion in large urban areas and the smallest in remote rural areas. The 16 to 64 population also tends to be younger in more urban areas – 36% of the population of large urban areas are aged 16-39, compared to 20% of the population of remote rural areas.
Remote rural areas had the highest median age at 53 years, whereas large urban areas had the lowest at 39 years.
Figure 5: People in urban areas tend to be younger, and people in rural areas tend to be older
Age group by 6-fold Urban Rural Classification, mid-2024
The populations of these areas have changed at different rates over time. Figure 6 illustrates the percentage change in the population by urban rural area over the last decade.
Figure 6: Large urban areas had the largest population growth over the last decade
Cumulative population change since 2014 by Urban Rural Classification, mid-2014 to mid-2024
The areas with the greatest population growth over the last decade were large urban areas. The number of people living in these areas increased by 6.0% between mid-2014 and mid-2024. The population living in large urban areas has increased every year over this period except for the year to mid-2021. The population in remote small towns fell by 4.4% over the same period, and has decreased every year.
Figures 7, 8 and 9 show the change in the populations of urban rural areas by age group in the past decade. The population of 0 to 15-year-olds has decreased in most areas, except for large urban areas where it has increased by 0.3%. The largest decreases have been in remote rural areas (-9.4%) and remote small towns (-10.4%).
Figure 7: The largest decreases in 0 to 15-year-olds have been in remote rural areas and remote small towns
Cumulative population change of 0 to 15-year-olds since 2014 by Urban Rural Classification, mid-2014 to mid-2024
Large urban areas have also seen the largest increase in 16 to 64-year-olds (5.6%). The 16 to 64-year-old population of other urban areas has increased as well, although by less than 0.1%. As with 0 to 15-year-olds, the largest decreases in the 16 to 64 population are seen in remote rural areas (-6.5%) and remote small towns (-7.7%).
Figure 8: The largest decreases in 16 to 64-year-olds have been in in remote rural areas and remote small towns
Cumulative population change since 2014 of 16 to 64-year-olds by Urban Rural Classification, mid-2014 to mid-2024
All areas have seen an increase in the population aged 65 and over. The largest increase has been in accessible rural areas (25.4%), while the smallest increase has been in remote small towns (9.4%).
Figure 9: All Urban Rural areas have seen an increase in the population aged 65 and over
Cumulative population change since 2014 of people aged 65 and over by Urban Rural Classification, mid-2014 to mid-2024
Background notes
How are population estimates calculated?
Data zone population estimates are produced using the demographic cohort component method. They are also adjusted to match the population estimates for Scottish council areas. Further detail can be found in the methodology guide below.
Strengths and limitations
The numbers in this report are estimates that are created by combining together many different data sources. It is important to consider the strengths and limitations when using population estimates.
Every 10 years the population census provides the most comprehensive estimate of the population of Scotland. The estimates in this report are based on rolling the census figures forward each year. This is achieved by using the best data that is available on a nationally consistent basis. Births are added, deaths are subtracted, migration is accounted for and other adjustments are made for special populations such as prisoners and armed forces. Data zone population estimates are then controlled to the published mid-year population estimates for council areas, to ensure consistency. Estimates for 2011-2021 (initially rolled forward from 2011 census figures) have also been adjusted to ensure a consistent time series with later estimates (rolled forward from the 2022 census).
Information from administrative registers, such as the numbers of births and deaths, is considered to be very reliable. However, there is no equivalent source for migration – whether that be within Scotland, between Scotland and other parts of the UK or between Scotland and the wider world. As a result, migration flows are estimated using a variety of different sources. None of these sources are designed to measure migration and so none of them do this perfectly.
The data zone populations are not rounded. However, this does not mean that the estimates are accurate down to the individual person. We use unrounded figures to allow more accurate combination of data zone populations.
Quality assurance takes place throughout the production of population estimates, with checks in place to ensure consistency and completeness.
2011 data zone estimates
Small area population estimates based on 2011 data zones have been published previously on the NRS website. These include estimates for other geographies (calculated on a best-fit basis) and a rebased timeseries back to 2011 based on 2022 census data. The estimates in this report, based on 2022 data zones, should generally be more accurate. For mid-2011 to mid-2021, a more detailed methodology has been used to create a back series for the new data zones. Also, as the 2022 data zones more closely fit current patterns in population, they should also provide more accurate estimates when used to approximate other geographies on a best-fit basis.
Migration estimates
Estimates of migration between Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom are calculated using patient register data - the NHS Central Register (NHSCR) and the Personal Demographic Service (PDS). For example, when someone moves from Scotland to England and registers with a new doctor, this is picked up on both the Scottish NHSCR and the English PDS. It is the receiving nation’s data – England in this example – which is used to determine the migration flows. These migration flows are agreed by the nations of the UK. This provides us with estimates of migration to and from the rest of the UK at Scottish Health Board level. The Community Health Index (CHI), which holds records of people registered with an NHS doctor in Scotland, is then used to distribute these moves amongst councils and smaller areas.
Estimates of migration within Scotland are also based on patient registers – in this case the CHI and the NHSCR.
The approach outlined above, whether estimating moves between Scotland and other parts of the UK or moves within Scotland, relies on people registering with a new GP when they move. It is assumed they will do this within two months of moving. We know that some groups of the population, particularly young men and students, are less likely to do this and so migration flows are likely to be under-estimates for these groups.
Estimates of international migration for Scotland are produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These are disaggregated from their long-term international migration estimates which are published twice-yearly at a UK level. These estimates are currently classed as Official Statistics in Development and are subject to a programme of continuous improvement. The estimates are primarily based on Home Office travel and visa data and the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Registrations and Population Interaction database (RAPID). Additional sources are used to help break the UK-level estimates down to country and council area levels, and the CHI data is used to break these down further to data zones.
More details on the methods and sources used to estimate migration flows can be found in the methodology guide below.
Links to related statistics
The Scotland’s Census website contains census results, information, and planned dates for future publications.
Population estimates for Scotland, its council areas and health boards are available from the NRS website.
Population estimates for the UK and its constituent countries are available from the Office for National Statistics website.
Information about our statistics
These statistics are designated as Accredited Official Statistics. More information about Official Statistics can be found on the statistics governance and consultation page.
We also provide information about upcoming publications on our website.
If you would like receive updates on our statistics, you can register your interest on the Scottish Government ScotStat website.
