Household numbers up 15% in 20 years as more Scots opt to live alone

The number of households in Scotland has increased 15% in 20 years as more Scots opt to live on their own, figures show.

Statistics published by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) show 2,549,800 dwellings in Scotland were occupied – excluding empty and second homes – in 2022, which was 338,400 more than in 2002.

The figure increased by 21,000 since 2021.

An increase in households was seen across every local authority area over the past two decades, with the Orkney Islands showing the largest rise (28%) followed by East Lothian (27%) and Midlothian (26%).

Meanwhile, Inverclyde saw the lowest percentage increase at 4%, while Dundee City and West Dunbartonshire saw rises of 7%.

The number of households has increased faster than the population, and Scotland has the highest proportion of one-person households in the UK at 36%, while the UK average sits at 30%.

While the increase in one-person households can be attributed to an ageing population, where older people are more likely to live alone or in smaller households, the statistics also show average household sizes are decreasing across Scotland.

Scotland had the lowest proportion (30%) of households with three or more people, compared to the rest of the UK in 2022, the figures show.

Sandy Taylor, head of household statistics at NRS, said “These latest statistics show a continuation of the trends in the number and type of households that we have seen over the last 20 years.

“The growth in the number of households is partly due to an increase in the population but it is also because people are increasingly living alone or with fewer other people.

“The average household size in Scotland decreased from 2.25 people per household in 2002 to 2.18 in 2012, and then to 2.11 in 2022.”

When unoccupied homes are included, there are almost 2.7 million dwellings in Scotland, the latest data shows. However 90,700 – or 3% – were empty, while 24,300 (1%) were second homes.