Scotland: population and official figures
Scotland is a nation of the United Kingdom, number 8 of 12 by population. Scotland had an estimated 5,546,900 residents at mid-2024, 8.0% of the UK population of 69.28 million, and 4.0% more than the 5,331,400 counted ten years earlier.
5,546,900
£39,441
£642.9
59.4
73.7%
14.8%
£15,563
129
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Scotland: Gross domestic product in Scotland was £39,441 per head in 2024, 95% of the UK figure of £41,627 and 3rd highest of 12 UK nations and English regions; ten years earlier, in 2014, it was £27,879.
- Health in Scotland: A girl born in Scotland in 2022 to 2024 could expect 59.4 years in good health (UK 60.9), down from 62.2 years in 2017 to 2019; that is 6th lowest of 12 among UK nations and regions.
- Education in Scotland: 73.7% of working-age adults in Scotland held qualifications at Level 3 (A level or Higher equivalent) or above in 2023, against 67.7% for the UK (2nd highest of 12), up from 72.8% in 2022.
- Poverty and living standards in Scotland: 14.8% of children under 16 in Scotland lived in relative low-income families after housing costs in 2024-25, compared with 26.0% across the UK and 15.2% a year earlier; the lowest rate of the 12 UK nations and regions.
- Government budget and revenue in Scotland: HM Treasury counted £86,328 million of identifiable public spending in Scotland in 2024-25, 9.2% of the UK total, up from £80,827 million in 2020-21.
- Government and politics in Scotland: The Scottish Government accounted for £39,448 million of spending in Scotland in 2024-25 according to HM Treasury's Country and Regional Analysis, the main measure of how much the devolved government itself spends.
How old is the population of Scotland?
The median age in Scotland was 42 in 2024 (UK 40), and 20.5% of residents were aged 65 or over, against 19.0% across the UK.
Source: Office for National Statistics · saved copyOther nations of the United Kingdom
- South East 9,642,942
- London 9,089,736
- North West 7,737,414
- East of England 6,576,306
- West Midlands 6,187,204
- South West 5,889,695
- Yorkshire and the Humber 5,672,962
- East Midlands 5,063,164
- Wales 3,186,581
- North East 2,760,678
- Northern Ireland 1,927,855
Up a level: the United Kingdom · government and power in the United Kingdom
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Explore Local Statistics: all datasets (spreadsheet generated 22 October 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 ae2f3a7b3960…)
- HM Treasury: Country and Regional Analysis 2025: A tables, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9a6a7af9e2bd…)
- Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), Scottish Parliament: Election 2026 (SPICe Briefing SB 26-26), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f36945db43b6…)
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