Household Projections
Last Updated: May 2008
Between 2006 and 2031, the number of households in Scotland is projected to increase by 19 per cent to 2.7 million. This is an average of 17,600 additional households per year. Most of the increase is the result of the ageing population and more people living alone or in smaller households, rather than an increase in the overall population. The average household size is projected to decrease from 2.19 in 2006 to 1.93 in 2031.
As illustrated below, there is a large projected increase in households containing just one adult from 809,000 in 2006 to over 1.2 million in 2031. There are also projected increases in other small households between 2006 and 2031 - households containing just two adults without children are projected to rise from 687,000 to 858,000, and the number of households containing one adult with children is projected to rise from 157,000 to 226,000.
In contrast, the number of larger households is falling. Households containing two or more adults with children fell from 590,000 in 1981 to 443,000 in 2006, and are projected to fall to 300,000 by 2031. There is also a projected decrease in the number of households containing three or more adults, from 196,000 to 137,000.
Projected number of households in Scotland by household type: 2006 and 2031
Source: 2006 — based Household Projections for Scotland, General Register Office for Scotland
The population projections show that Scotland’s population is ageing, with a projected increase in the number of people in the older age groups and fewer people in the younger age groups. This trend is reflected in the household projections, with the largest increases shown in households headed by people aged 60 and over (an increase of over 50 per cent between 2006 and 2031, from 753,000 to 1.14 million). In contrast, households headed by someone aged under 60 are projected to increase by four per cent, to around 1.6 million. The number of households headed by someone aged 85 or over is projected to more than double over the same period, from 69,000 to 177,000.
Projected number of households in Scotland by age of head of household, 2006 and 2031
Source: 2006 — based Household Projections for Scotland, General Register Office for Scotland