In 2024, there were approximately 650,300 people living in Glasgow, with a further 530,680 people living in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, the first and second most-populated Scottish council areas respectively. The region of Fife is also heavily populated, with approximately 374,760 people living there. The least populated areas are the islands of Scotland such as Orkney, estimated to have only 22,020 people there.

Projected population change varies across Scotland. Over half of Scotland’s councils (18 out of 32) are projected to increase by mid-2028. These are mostly urban areas, located in the central belt. The fastest growing areas are in the East surrounding the City of Edinburgh. Population decline is projected to mainly be in the West and South West of the country. More councils are projected to experience population decline than in previous projections (14 councils now, compared to 8 councils in the previous 2016-based projections). Migration continues to drive projected increases in population in most areas. By mid-2028, 30 council areas are projected to have more people arriving than leaving. Overall 18 councils are projected to increase in population, as natural decline (more deaths than births) exceeds net migration in some areas. In most areas, there is projected to be more deaths than births, contributing to population decline. Only five councils are projected to have natural population growth, with more births than deaths over the 10 years to mid-2028. Scotland’s population is projected to age, with the population of people aged 75 years and older projected to increase in all areas.

Citywide analysis of the Census 2011 Edinburgh results Additional metadata: - Licence: http://reference.data.gov.uk/id/open-government-licence

In 2020, there were estimated to be 406,000 non-British nationals living in Scotland. This represented about 8% of Scotland’s population. Of all non-British nationals, 61% were EU nationals (247,000) and 39% were non-EU nationals (159,000). Prior to 2010, the populations of EU and non-EU nationals living in Scotland were similar. Since 2010, the population of EU nationals has consistently been higher than the population of non-EU nationals. Polish was the most common non-British nationality in Scotland in 2020, with 92,000 nationals (23% of the total non-British population). The council areas with the largest proportion of residents with a non-British nationality were Aberdeen City (20%), City of Edinburgh (19%), and Glasgow City (12%).

Facts and statistics about different areas of the city Find latest available data for by using this interactive search tool. You can view and compare up to 2 geographies. These include the Council's 17 wards, the 4 new locality areas, Edinburgh and Scotland. How to use this tool: pick the areas you want to view from the drop down list under 'first area / second area' and then click on the tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet to view your results. There is also a tab showing summary information of the 4 new localities data - 'Locality Comparison' in white. The data in the spreadsheet includes: Population - gender and age Housing Employment Education and professions Income Benefits Health & disability Lifestyle Satisfaction with Services Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation data Additional metadata: - Licence: http://reference.data.gov.uk/id/open-government-licence

Number of crimes recorded by the police per 10,000 population, Edinburgh 2013-14

Population estimates are as at mid-year 2013 from the National Records of Scotland.

Natural neighbourhoods are neighbourhood definitions and boundaries created during a consultation with Edinburgh residents. Natural neighbourhood boundaries were created in 2004 as part of a review of ward boundaries. The city has changed much since then, the population has increased, new neighbourhoods have appeared and demolition has taken place in other areas so the 2014 consultation has updated these boundaries. The boundaries will be used by the Council and its partners to plan services, consultations and inform policy and strategy development.

Glasgow City's crime rate of *** crimes per 10,000 people was the highest of any region of Scotland in 2024/25. The rate for the whole of Scotland was *** per 10,000 people, which appears to be driven by low crime in places such as the Shetland Islands, with almost all Scottish cities reporting higher than average crime rates. In Dundee, the crime rate was *** crimes per 10,000 people, while in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, the crime rate was *** per 10,000 population. Comparisons with the rest of the UK When compared with the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland has experienced a noticeable decline in its overall crime rate. In 2008/09 for example, Scotland's crime rate was higher than that of England and Wales, as well as Northern Ireland, the other two jurisdictions in the UK. In 2022/23, however, Scotland's crime rate was the lowest in the UK, with the crime rate in England and Wales rising noticeably during the same period. Scotland's homicide rate has also fallen, from being the highest in the UK in 2002/03, to the lowest in 2022/23. What types of crime increased in recent years? The overall number of crimes recorded by the Scottish police since the mid 2010s has remained broadly stable, with ******* offences reported in 2024/25. Specific types of crime have, however, increased in recent times. In 2024/25, for example, there were ****** sexual crimes reported by the police, compared with ***** ten years earlier. As in the rest of the UK, shoplifting has increased rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching a peak of ****** offences in the 2024/25 reporting year.