Households and dwellings
Last Updated: May 2008
In mid-2007, there were 2.3 million households in Scotland — over 270,000 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. Over the last year, there has been an increase of 22,400 households (1%).
There are higher proportions of flats in urban areas, as shown below, and in more deprived areas. In contrast, there are higher proportions of detached houses in rural areas, and in less deprived areas.
Dwelling type, by urban/rural area
Source: GROS Estimates of households and dwellings in Scotland, 2007
Across Scotland as a whole, 2.8% of dwellings are vacant and 1.4% are second homes, though there is wide variation across the country. Remote rural areas have the lowest percentage of dwellings which are occupied (88%), with relatively high percentages of vacant dwellings (5% of all dwellings in these areas) and second homes (7%), as shown below. The most deprived areas have the highest percentage of dwellings which are vacant (6%).
Vacant dwellings and second homes, by urban/rural area
Source: GROS Estimates of households and dwellings in Scotland, 2007