The Isles of Scilly: local statistics
The Isles of Scilly is a unitary authority in the South West, home to an estimated 2,299 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 5 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over the Isles of Scilly, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
In mid-2025 the population of the Isles of Scilly was estimated at 2,299, down 3.5% on a year earlier. That is 61 more people than in mid-2015, a rise of 2.7%; the South West grew by 8.0% over the same years. That is the slowest growth in the South West. The series peaked at 2,465 in mid-2023.
1.5% of Isles of Scilly residents aged 16 to 64 (20 people) were on the claimant count in August 2026 (the South West: 2.7%). That compares with 0.9% a year before. Over the last five years it peaked at 2.3% in January 2022 and was lowest at 0.6% in June 2025.
Police recorded 74 crimes in the Isles of Scilly in the year to March 2026, 32.2 for every 1,000 residents, the lowest rate of all 19 council areas in the South West. A year earlier it was 26.9. Across the 11 years shown it ranged from 11.8 to 56.7 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
A Band D home in the Isles of Scilly pays an average of £2,047.96 in council tax in 2026-27, up £97.93 on 2025-26. That makes it the lowest in the South West. In 2016-17 the figure was £1,290.87, so it has risen 59%.
In March 2026, 245 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses were based in the Isles of Scilly, about the same as in 2016. That is 107 for every 1,000 residents, the highest of all 27 council areas in the South West.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 2,238 |
| 2016 | 2,236 |
| 2017 | 2,170 |
| 2018 | 2,166 |
| 2019 | 2,098 |
| 2020 | 2,030 |
| 2021 | 2,271 |
| 2022 | 2,352 |
| 2023 | 2,465 |
| 2024 | 2,383 |
| 2025 | 2,299 |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,290.87 |
| 2017-18 | £1,346.18 |
| 2018-19 | £1,428.26 |
| 2019-20 | £1,489.34 |
| 2020-21 | £1,549.65 |
| 2021-22 | £1,630.84 |
| 2022-23 | £1,682.56 |
| 2023-24 | £1,769.18 |
| 2024-25 | £1,857.35 |
| 2025-26 | £1,950.03 |
| 2026-27 | £2,047.96 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 56.7 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 43.8 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 45.6 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 38.8 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 28.1 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 11.8 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 24.7 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 23.4 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 28.8 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 26.9 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 32.2 per 1,000 |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 245 |
| 2017 | 245 |
| 2018 | 245 |
| 2019 | 235 |
| 2020 | 230 |
| 2021 | 220 |
| 2022 | 235 |
| 2023 | 235 |
| 2024 | 235 |
| 2025 | 235 |
| 2026 | 245 |
Questions about the Isles of Scilly
What is the population of the Isles of Scilly?
The ONS estimates 2,299 people lived in the Isles of Scilly in mid-2025.
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in the Isles of Scilly?
The ONS claimant count was 20 in August 2026, 1.5% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
What is the crime rate in the Isles of Scilly?
32.2 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in the year to March 2026, excluding fraud (Home Office).
How much is Band D council tax in the Isles of Scilly?
£2,047.96 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
Who has power over Isles of Scilly
Every body that makes decisions for Isles of Scilly, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- Isles of Scilly council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Isles of Scilly in official figures this page
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- St Ives: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
Each value above links to the official file or query it was read from, on 14 October 2026. What each figure measures.
- Recorded crime: Years before April 2020 come from the earlier Home Office table.
More on this area and these figures
- Council money: spending, reserves and debt
- Figures for the whole region: the South West
- UK figures: UK population · UK unemployment rate · Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime
- Other council areas in the South West: Cotswold · Forest of Dean · Mid Devon · South Hams · Torridge · West Devon
Related questions
- What is the population of my area?
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- Who are my local councillors?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. This page has fewer than six official figures of its own, so it is not yet listed for search engines. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.