West Dunbartonshire: local statistics
West Dunbartonshire is a council area in Scotland, home to an estimated 88,340 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 8 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over West Dunbartonshire, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
Homes in West Dunbartonshire sold for an average of £127,521 in July 2026, up 4.7% on a year before. It ranks as the 2nd lowest in Scotland; the average for Scotland was £196,349. Prices are 50% above July 2016 and at their highest July level in the series. Dividing the average price by the median annual pay of full-time employees living in West Dunbartonshire (£40,011) gives a ratio of 3.2. That ratio is the 2nd lowest ratio of all 32 council areas in Scotland.
The claimant count for West Dunbartonshire stood at 2,200 in August 2026, or 3.9% of residents aged 16 to 64; the rate for Scotland was 3.2%. A year earlier the rate was 3.7%. The five-year high was 6.5% (August 2021); the low was 3.5% (October 2025).
In 2022 to 2024, women in West Dunbartonshire had a life expectancy at birth of 79.7 years; for men it was 75.0, compared with 81.1 and 77.2 years across Scotland. For women that is 1.1 years more than in 2012 to 2014; for men, 0.3 more. It is the 27th highest for women of 32 in Scotland.
West Dunbartonshire had an estimated 88,340 residents in mid-2025, a change of -0.5% in a year. That is 1,590 fewer people than in mid-2015, a fall of 1.8%; Scotland grew by 3.6% over the same years, the 26th fastest growth of 32 in Scotland. The series peaked at 90,260 in mid-2016.
2,420 businesses were registered for VAT or PAYE in West Dunbartonshire in March 2026, about the same as in 2016. There are 27 per 1,000 residents, the 2nd lowest of all 32 council areas in Scotland.
In April 2025 the middle full-time earner living in West Dunbartonshire took home £737.10 a week before tax, or £40,011 over a year. It is the 25th highest of 32 in Scotland, and 5.0% less than across Scotland. Jobs based in West Dunbartonshire paid a median £707.80 a week, £29.30 less than the figure for people who live there. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was £500.70: a change of +47% before inflation.
An estimated 70.3% of people aged 16 to 64 living in West Dunbartonshire were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey, with a margin of error of 4.7 points either way, against 74.6% across Scotland. Its lowest reading in the series was 69.9% and its highest 75.0%.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 89,930 |
| 2016 | 90,260 |
| 2017 | 90,120 |
| 2018 | 89,660 |
| 2019 | 89,560 |
| 2020 | 88,990 |
| 2021 | 88,510 |
| 2022 | 88,270 |
| 2023 | 88,820 |
| 2024 | 88,820 |
| 2025 | 88,340 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £85,247 |
| July 2017 | £84,923 |
| July 2018 | £92,666 |
| July 2019 | £95,148 |
| July 2020 | £101,044 |
| July 2021 | £106,842 |
| July 2022 | £119,344 |
| July 2023 | £113,035 |
| July 2024 | £121,443 |
| July 2025 | £121,758 |
| July 2026 | £127,521 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £500.70 a week |
| 2016 | £517.10 a week |
| 2017 | £512.30 a week |
| 2018 | £518.70 a week |
| 2019 | £520.50 a week |
| 2020 | £566.40 a week |
| 2021 | £650.90 a week |
| 2022 | £610.80 a week |
| 2023 | £696.90 a week |
| 2024 | £722.30 a week |
| 2025 | £737.10 a week |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 72.3% |
| 2016/17 | 71.9% |
| 2017/18 | 71.6% |
| 2018/19 | 73.2% |
| 2019/20 | 72.5% |
| 2020/21 | 69.9% |
| 2021/22 | 73.9% |
| 2022/23 | 75.0% |
| 2023/24 | 70.2% |
| 2024/25 | 71.6% |
| 2025/26 | 70.3% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 78.6 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 78.8 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 78.9 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 79.1 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 79.3 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 79.3 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 78.9 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 78.5 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 78.5 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 79.2 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 79.7 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 2,420 |
| 2017 | 2,485 |
| 2018 | 2,450 |
| 2019 | 2,455 |
| 2020 | 2,575 |
| 2021 | 2,570 |
| 2022 | 2,405 |
| 2023 | 2,390 |
| 2024 | 2,370 |
| 2025 | 2,385 |
| 2026 | 2,420 |
Questions about West Dunbartonshire
What is the average house price in West Dunbartonshire?
£127,521 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (+4.7% on a year).
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in West Dunbartonshire?
The ONS claimant count was 2,200 in August 2026, 3.9% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
What is life expectancy in West Dunbartonshire?
79.7 years for women and 75.0 for men (2022 to 2024, ONS).
What is the population of West Dunbartonshire?
The ONS estimates 88,340 people lived in West Dunbartonshire in mid-2025.
What is the average salary in West Dunbartonshire?
£737.10 a week before tax, the median for full-time employees who live there (April 2025, ONS).
Who has power over West Dunbartonshire
Every body that makes decisions for West Dunbartonshire, 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
Community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- West Dunbartonshire council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- West Dunbartonshire in official figures this page
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
- Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government makes law for Scotland on devolved subjects
Level 6: National government
- West Dunbartonshire: Douglas McAllister (Labour) 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.
- Average house price: Scottish figures come from Registers of Scotland.
More on this area and these figures
- Council money: spending, reserves and debt
- Figures for Scotland
- UK figures: UK average house price · UK unemployment rate · Life expectancy at birth (UK)
- Other council areas in Scotland: Argyll and Bute · East Renfrewshire · Inverclyde · Midlothian · Moray · Stirling
Related questions
- What is the average house price in my area?
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- What is the population of my area?
- Which council am I in?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.