Compared to 2024, the electorate for UK Parliamentary elections and for Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections decreased slightly, by 0.3% and 0.4% respectively.
Figure 1: The number of people in Scotland registered to vote in General Elections, Scottish Parliamentary elections and local government election decreased slightly in 2025
Number of people on the electoral register
Note: The decrease in 2015 was caused by the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER). The minimum voting age for Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections was lowered from 18 to 16 in 2015. The minimum age for voting in UK General Elections remained at 18.
Summary of main points
At 1 December 2025
- The total number of people registered to vote in Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections was 4,266,700, a decrease of 16,600 (0.4%) compared with December 2024;
- The number of people registered to vote in Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections shows a general upward trend. An increase in registered voters is often seen in the lead-up to elections;
- Around 1 in 5 electors (19.4% of the total electorate, which is 858,500 people) had registered for postal voting in Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections;
- Of the 4,266,700 people registered to vote in Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections, 74,100 (1.7%) were aged 16 or 17;
- 198,100 qualifying foreign nationals resident in Scotland were registered to vote in Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections, 4.6% of the total electorate;
- The number of people registered to vote in UK Parliamentary elections was 4,035,600, a decrease of 13,200 (0.3%) compared with December 2024.
Overview
Why does the electorate change in size?
There are three main reasons:
- The population changes. People move to or from an area. The number of people old enough to vote changes. People die in smaller or greater numbers. Figure 2 shows a generally upward trend between 2015 and 2025 in the number of people registered to vote in elections in Scotland, with an overall increase of 6%. This is consistent with the increase of around 5% in the population aged 16 and over in this period.
- A change in the number of people interested in politics. This could be because of a significant vote, a specific political campaign or a current social issue.
- The rules on who can vote change. For example, in 2015 Scotland lowered the minimum voting age to 16 for Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections. The electoral franchise was also extended to all qualifying foreign nationals in 2020.
Figure 3 and Figure 4 illustrate trends in the number of registered voters in the context of key election events in the last decade. An increase in registered voters is often seen in the lead-up to elections and referendums, as people register to ensure they can vote. The number can then fall back as Electoral Registration Offices carry out their annual canvas to update the registers. For example, they aim to take account of deaths and changes of address.
Figure 2: The number of people registered to vote in Scotland shows a generally upward trend between 2015 and 2025
People registered to vote in elections in Scotland, 2015 to 2025
People registered to vote in UK Parliamentary elections
The number of registered voters for UK Parliamentary elections in Scotland totalled 4,035,600 at December 2025. This was 13,200 (0.3%) lower than the previous year which was the highest ever recorded December figure for this electorate. As noted above, an increase in registered voters is often seen in the lead-up to an election event as people register to ensure they can vote.
Figure 3 Increases between 2015 and 2025 in the number of people registered to vote in UK Parliamentary elections generally correlate to the timing of UK General elections
Number of people in Scotland, registered on the UK electoral register
Of the 57 UK parliamentary constituencies in Scotland, 26 recorded an increase and 31 a decrease in their electorate in the year to December 2025.
The largest percentage increases were in:
- Edinburgh West (1.2%)
- Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey (1.0%)
- Gordon and Buchan (0.8%).
The largest percentage decreases were in:
- Dundee Central (4.6%)
- Glasgow North (3.6%)
- Glasgow East (2.1%).
At December 2025, the average number of registered voters per UK parliamentary constituency was 70,800.
The constituencies with the largest electorates were:
- Livingston (78,700)
- Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire (77,900)
- Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey (77,900).
The constituencies with the smallest electorates were:
- Na h-Eileanan an Iar (21,100)
- Orkney and Shetland (34,500).
The smallest electorate in a mainland constituency was Glasgow North (62,700).
People registered to vote in Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections
The data included in this publication on Scottish Parliamentary constituencies relate to the new constituencies which came into force on 16 October 2025 following the Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries by the Scottish Boundaries Commission. These are the constituencies that will be in effect for the May 2026 elections to the Scottish Parliament.
The total number of registered voters for Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections in Scotland at December 2025 was 4,266,700. This was a decrease of 16,600 (0.4%) compared with December 2024. It is anticipated that this number will have increased by the time of the elections to the Scottish Parliament in May 2026 as people register to ensure they can vote.
Figure 4 Increases between 2015 and 2025 in the number of people registered to vote in Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections generally correlate to the timing of parliamentary and local elections
Number of people in Scotland, registered on the Scottish Parliamentary and local government electoral register
Between December 2024 and December 2025, the local government electorate increased in 14 of the 32 council areas and decreased in the other 18.
The largest percentage increases were in:
- Moray (1.3%)
- Aberdeenshire (0.9%) and
- Shetland Islands (0.9%).
The largest percentage decreases were in:
- Dundee City (4.0%)
- East Ayrshire (2.3%)
- North Ayrshire (1.9%).
The council areas with the highest number of these electors were:
- Glasgow City (447,800)
- City of Edinburgh (405,200)
- Fife (290,800).
The council areas with the lowest numbers were:
- Shetland Islands (17,900)
- Orkney Islands (17,900)
- Na h-Eileanan Siar (21,400).
At December 2025 there were 73 Scottish Parliamentary constituencies arranged in 8 electoral regions. The average number of registered voters per constituency was 58,400. The constituency with the most people registered to vote was Almond Valley (72,200). The smallest electorate was in Shetland Islands (17,900), with the smallest on the mainland in Argyll and Bute (49,600).
Local Government electoral wards
For local government elections, council areas are split into electoral wards. Each ward has between one and five elected councillors. At December 2025, there were 355 electoral wards, with an average of 12,000 registered voters per ward. However, this varied depending on the number of elected members and other local considerations.
One ward (Arran, North Ayrshire) has just one elected member while there are three wards (all in North Ayrshire) with five elected members. For seven wards there are just two elected members. The number of registered voters in these wards ranged from 1,000 in Barraigh agus Bhatarsaigh to 1,700 in Sgìre an Rubha (both in Na h-Eileanan Siar).
The 180 three-member wards had 10,300 registered voters on average. This ranged from 1,800 in North Isles (Orkney Islands) up to 25,000 Hillhead (Glasgow).
The 164 four-member wards had an average of 14,300 registered voters. This ranged from 2,900 in Lerwick South (Shetland Islands) up to 31,200 in Liberton/ Gilmerton (City of Edinburgh).
16 and 17 year old voters
At December 2025, there were 74,100 people aged 16 or 17 registered to vote in Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections, corresponding to around 60% of this age group. (The equivalent figure for the total electorate is 92%.) This number was a decrease of 700 (1.0%) compared with December 2024.
People aged 16 or 17 accounted for 1.7% of the total electorate. The council areas where this proportion was highest proportion were Aberdeenshire, East Renfrewshire and Shetland Islands (all 2.6%). It was lowest in Dundee City (1.1%), North Lanarkshire (1.2%) and South Lanarkshire (1.2%).
Postal voters
At December 2025, a total of 858,500 registered voters for Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections (19.4%) of the total electorate) had opted for a postal vote. This proportion was slightly lower than the peak of 22.5% recorded in 2021 and 2022 – a period when Covid restrictions may have influenced peoples’ choices – but markedly higher than the 13.8% recorded in 2015. Registration for postal voting tended to be higher in more rural or remote constituencies.
Foreign national voters
From July 2020, the electoral franchise was extended to all foreign nationals living in Scotland, not just EU and qualifying commonwealth citizens. At December 2025, there were 198,100 foreign nationals registered to vote in Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections. This represented 4.6% of the total electorate, and is the highest number ever recorded. It was an increase of 2,800 (1.4%) compared with December 2024. Figure 5 shows the upward trend from 2015.
Figure 5: The number of foreign nationals registered to vote in Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections increased over the period 2015 to 2025
Foreign nationals registered to vote in elections in Scotland, 2015 to 2025
The extension of the electorate franchise to qualifying residents from all countries following the implementation of the Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Act 2020 was introduced in April 2020.
The highest proportion of foreign nationals are found in council areas with large numbers of students such as Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow. Whilst the council areas with the lowest proportion of foreign nationals are found in those which are more rural or contain urban areas outside the main cities.
The council areas with the highest proportion of foreign nationals in the electorate at December 2025 were:
- City of Edinburgh (11.2%)
- Aberdeen City (10.4%)
- Glasgow City (7.0%).
The council areas with the lowest proportion of foreign nationals were:
- East Ayrshire (1.4%)
- North Ayrshire (1.5%)
- Inverclyde (1.6%)
- South Ayrshire (1.6%).
Overseas voters
At December 2025, a total of 12,200 British citizens resident overseas were registered voters for UK Parliamentary elections, 0.3% of the total electorate. This was 200 (2.0%) fewer than the corresponding number of such voters registered at December 2024.
Opted out voters
There are two versions of the electoral register – the full register and the ‘open register’. The full register is used only for elections. It can also be used in certain specified circumstances, for example preventing and detecting crime. The open register is available to anyone who wants to buy a copy, for example marketing companies. Electors can opt out of the open register. At December 2015, just over 40% of registered voters had opted out of the open register. Since then, this proportion has risen each year. By December 2025 it had reached a high of 64%. Figure 6 illustrates this upward trend.
Figure 6: The percentage of people registered to vote in Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections opting out of the full register increased slightly each year from 2015 to 2025
Percentage of people who have opted out of the full register, 2015 to 2025
Service voters
At December 2025, the number of service voters registered to vote in Parliamentary and local elections in Scotland was under 700. This represented just 0.02% of the total electorate and was the smallest number recorded in the last decade.
Anonymous voters
Anonymous registration is available to electors whose safety would be at risk if their name or address were listed on the electoral register. The number of anonymous registered voters in Scotland is small. Table 1 shows the trend from 2015 to 2025. At December 2025, there were 145 such people on the electoral register for UK Parliamentary elections. The corresponding number on the electoral register for Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections was 155.
Table 1: Total number of anonymous voters, 2017 to 2025
| People registered to vote |
Dec 2017 |
Dec 2018 |
Dec 2019 |
Mar 2020 |
Dec 2020 |
Dec 2021 |
Dec 2022 |
Dec 2023 |
Dec 2024 |
Dec 2025 |
| UK Parliamentary elections |
116 |
130 |
194 |
215 |
188 |
176 |
178 |
147 |
155 |
146 |
| Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections |
127 |
137 |
207 |
223 |
193 |
186 |
186 |
159 |
163 |
155 |
Links to related statistics
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish electoral statistics for each of the UK countries. These are available in the electoral registration section of the ONS website. The next ONS publication, Electoral Statistics, UK: 2025 is due for publication on 2nd April 2026.
Population estimates for parliamentary constituencies in Scotland are available from the Population, migration and households section of the NRS website.
The Scotland's Census website contains results from the 2022, 2011 and 2001 Censuses.
Notes on statistical publications
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.
