In mid-2009, there were 2.34 million households in Scotland, which is around 300,000 more than in 1991. The number of households in Scotland has been increasing steadily, by between 11,000 and 23,000 each year since 1991. The rate of growth has slowed in the past two years and the increase of 13,200 households from 2008 to 2009 was the lowest in the last five years.
By 2033, the number of households in Scotland is projected to increase to 2.8 million, which is an average of 19,300 additional households per year. Most of the increase is the result of an ageing population and more people living alone or in smaller households, rather than an increase in the overall population. Looking to the future, there is a projected increase in the number of people in older age groups, with a fall in the number of younger people. This has an impact on household structure, as elderly people are more likely to live alone or with just one other person and children tend to live in larger households.
Variations within Scotland
Over the last five years, the number of households has increased in every Council area in Scotland except Inverclyde (where it fell slightly). These trends are likely to continue, with the number of households in almost every Council area projected to increase over the next 25 years. Figure 9.1 on the following page shows the projected percentage change in the number of households in each Council area between 2008 and 2033.
In some areas, the number of households is projected to rise markedly, with 13 of the 32 Council areas projected to increase by at least 20 per cent. The largest projected increases are in Clackmannanshire (41 per cent), East Lothian (40 per cent) and Perth and Kinross (38 per cent). Aberdeenshire, City of Edinburgh, West Lothian and Orkney Islands also have projected increases over 30 per cent. In contrast, Inverclyde has a projected decrease of 5 per cent over the same period.
Figure 9.1 Projected percentage change in households by Council area, 2008 to 2033
Household type
Figure 9.2 shows the number of households of each type in 1981 and 2008 and the projected number in 2033. There is a substantial increase in households containing just one adult (a projected increase of nearly a half over the next twenty five years). There are also increases in households with two adults (a projected increase of almost a quarter), and households with one adult with children.
In contrast, the number of larger households is falling, with households containing two or more adults with children, or three or more adults, projected to decrease by more than a quarter over the next twenty five years.
Figure 9.2 Households in Scotland by household type: 1981, 2008 and 2033
Age group
Figure 9.3 shows the number of households in 1981 and 2008, and the projected number in 2033, by the age of the head of household. The ‘head of household’ is normally the first person included on the census form.
Scotland’s population is ageing, with a projected increase in the number of people in the older age groups. This trend is reflected in the projected number of households, with the largest increases in households headed by people aged 60 or over (an increase of almost 50 per cent, from 783,000 to 1,150,000, between 2008 and 2033). In contrast, households headed by someone aged under 60 are projected to increase by just 7 per cent, to around 1,660,000. The number of households headed by someone aged 85 or over is projected to more than double over the same period, from 73,000 to 196,000.
Figure 9.3 Households in Scotland by age of head of household: 1981, 2008 and 2033
One-adult households
Thirty-eight per cent of dwellings in Scotland are entitled to a Council Tax discount because there is only one adult living there (alone, with children, or with those ‘disregarded’ for Council Tax purposes). There are more one-adult households in urban areas (42 per cent in large urban areas, compared to 29 per cent in rural areas) and in deprived areas (52 per cent in the most deprived areas, compared to 28 per cent in the least deprived areas), as illustrated in Figures 9.4 and 9.5.
Figure 9.4 One-adult households1, by urban-rural classification, 2009
Figure 9.5 One-adult households1, by level of deprivation2, 2009
Note: An error has been found in the income domain of SIMD 2009. This affects the SIMD 2009 income domain and overall SIMD 2009. The effect of this error is expected to be minimal and is unlikely to change the key messages. For further information on this error see: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/SIMD/
Type of housing
There are higher proportions of flats in urban areas, and in more deprived areas, as shown in Figures 9.6 and 9.7. In contrast, there are higher proportions of detached houses in rural areas, and in less deprived areas.
Figure 9.6 Dwelling type, by urban-rural classification, 2009
Figure 9.7 Dwelling type, by level of deprivation1, 2009
Note: An error has been found in the income domain of SIMD 2009. This affects the SIMD 2009 income domain and overall SIMD 2009. The effect of this error is expected to be minimal and is unlikely to change the key messages. For further information on this error see: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/SIMD/
Vacant dwellings and second homes
Across Scotland as a whole, 2.9 per cent of dwellings are vacant and 1.4 per cent are second homes, though there is wide variation across the country. Remote rural areas have the lowest percentage of dwellings which are occupied (88 per cent), with higher percentages of vacant dwellings (4.5 per cent of all dwellings in these areas) and second homes (7.3 per cent), as shown in Figure 9.8. The most deprived areas have the highest percentage of dwellings which are vacant (4.6 per cent), as shown in Figure 9.9. The Council areas with the highest percentage of dwellings which are vacant are Eilean Siar, Dundee City and Inverclyde.
Figure 9.8 Vacant dwellings and second homes, by urban-rural classification, 2009
Figure 9.9 Vacant dwellings and second homes, by level of deprivation1, 2009
Note: An error has been found in the income domain of SIMD 2009. This affects the SIMD 2009 income domain and overall SIMD 2009. The effect of this error is expected to be minimal and is unlikely to change the key messages. For further information on this error see: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/SIMD/
Figure 9.10 shows the percentage of dwellings which are second homes in each ‘data zone’ in Scotland. A data zone is a standard geography which was designed to contain an average of around 750 people at the time of creation in 2004. Certain remote rural areas have the highest proportions of second homes, particularly parts of the west coast and some of the islands, Highland Perthshire, and the area around the Cairngorms National Park. This also illustrates the variation within Council areas.
Figure 9.10 Percentage of dwellings which are second homes, in each data zone in Scotland, 2009
