Census 2011: Population and Household Estimates for Scotland - Release 1B

The latest results from the 2011 Census in Scotland show that, for the first time ever, there were more single person households than any other household size.

The results also show that, whilst the overall population is growing and getting older, it is not a uniform picture across Scotland.

The statistics published today by the National Records of Scotland (NRS), provides estimates of the population of each local authority area broken down by sex and 5 year age band as well as estimates for the number of households within each area.

Key points from Release 1B:

Households

• In 2011, one-person households accounted for 35 per cent of all households in Scotland, ranging from 27 per cent in Aberdeenshire to 43 per cent in Glasgow City.
• The number of households in Scotland with at least one usual resident on census day in 2011 was estimated to be 2,372,780 - the highest ever.
• The average household size in Scotland was 2.19 people per household and ranged from 2.02 in Glasgow City to 2.42 in East Renfrewshire.

Age Structure

• In 2011, 17 per cent of the population were aged 65 and over. This proportion ranges from 14 per cent in West Lothian to 22 per cent in Argyll & Bute.
• 16 per cent of the population were aged under 15 in 2011. This percentage ranges from 14 per cent in Aberdeen City to 19 per cent in West Lothian.

Comparisons with 10 Years Ago

• Since 2001 the number of households in Scotland has increased by 180,530 (eight per cent) from 2,192,250 to 2,372,780. All council areas saw increases with the largest in Orkney Islands (17 per cent), Aberdeenshire (15 per cent) and Highland (14 per cent). The smallest increases were East Dunbartonshire, Argyll and Bute and Inverclyde.
• Between 2001 and 2011 the number of households increased faster than the number of people in households in all areas of Scotland. This has led to a decrease in average household size from 2.27 to 2.19 people per household.
• In 1961, one-person households were the least common household type and accounted for 14 per cent of all households. By 2011 they had become the most common household type and accounted for 35 per cent of all households.
• Since 2001, the number of children aged under five years in Scotland has increased by six per cent. This change has not been uniform throughout the country. In the City of Edinburgh the increase was 18 per cent whilst there was a reduction of 11 per cent in Argyll & Bute.
• The number of people aged 80 and over has increased by 19 per cent since 2001. All council areas have seen rises. This ranges from a three per cent increase in Glasgow to a 44 per cent increase in East Dunbartonshire.

National Records of Scotland Chief Executive Tim Ellis said:

“These results from the census show that whilst the overall population is growing and getting older, there is considerable variation in the picture across Scotland. Some areas have seen small increases in overall numbers but significant changes in their population age structure, whilst other areas have seen larger overall increases but less pronounced ageing of the population. The results also show that, for the first time ever, single person households are the most common household type, accounting for more than a third of all households in Scotland."

The full publication, 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland - Release 1B and relevant data can be found on the Scotland's Census website.