Number of households in Scotland rises to 2.46m

The number of households in Scotland rose to 2.46m in 2017, according to figures published by National Records of Scotland (NRS).

The new statistics show over the past 10 years, the number of households has increased by around 145,000 (six per cent).

NRS said the growth in households is partly due to the rising population but also because people are increasingly living alone or with fewer other people.

Households consisting of only one person have been the most common type in Scotland since 2010.

The number of households has increased in every council area over the past 10 years, with the greatest relative increases occurring in Midlothian and the Orkney Islands. 

According to the estimates published today, there were 2.6m dwellings in Scotland in 2017.

Three per cent (79,200 dwellings) were empty and a further one per cent (25,700 dwellings) were second homes.

Empty and second homes are concentrated in different parts of the country.

For example, remote rural areas have a higher percentage of empty and second homes than urban areas.