Government and politics in Scotland, United Kingdom: official figures
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 many MSPs are in the Scottish Parliament?
The Scottish Parliament has 129 Members (MSPs): 73 elected in constituencies and 56 from regional lists, and a party needs 65 seats for a majority.
Source: Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), Scottish Parliament · saved copyWho won the 2026 Scottish Parliament election?
At the Scottish Parliament election of 7 May 2026 the SNP won 58 seats, 6 fewer than in 2021, remaining the largest party but 7 short of a majority; Reform UK and Scottish Labour won 17 each, the Greens 15, the Conservatives 12 and the Liberal Democrats 10.
Source: Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), Scottish Parliament · saved copyWhat was the turnout in the 2026 Scottish election?
Turnout in the 2026 Scottish Parliament constituency vote was 53.2%, with 2,297,159 votes cast from a record 4,320,981 registered electors; that was 10.3 percentage points lower than in 2021 and below the all-election average of 54.9%.
Source: Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), Scottish Parliament · saved copyHow many constituencies did the SNP win in 2026?
The SNP took 57 of the 73 constituency seats in 2026, while on the regional list its vote share fell to 27.2%, against 16.6% for Reform UK and 16.0% for Labour.
Source: Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), Scottish Parliament · saved copyHow many seats did Reform win in Scotland?
Reform UK went from 0 MSPs in 2021 to 17 in 2026, all elected from the regional lists, while the Conservatives lost 19 seats to finish with 12, their lowest total since devolution.
Source: Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), Scottish Parliament · saved copyWho governs Scotland?
The SPICe briefing on the result says the SNP was likely to form a minority government or seek a cooperation agreement or coalition, since support from any one of the five other parties would give a majority of 65 seats.
Source: Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), Scottish Parliament · saved copyHow Scotland compares with other nations
Turnout at the last devolved legislature election (%) (2022-2026)
Scotland ranks 2 of 3, highest first. Scotland 2026 constituency vote (SPICe), Wales 2026 (Senedd Research), Northern Ireland 2022 (NI Assembly RaISe). England's regions have no devolved legislature.
| Rank | Region | Turnout at the last devolved legislature election (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Ireland | 63.6% |
| 2 | Scotland | 53.2% |
| 3 | Wales | 51.7% |
Devolved government's share of identifiable public spending (%) (2024-25)
Scotland ranks 2 of 3, highest first. Only the three devolved nations have their own government
| Rank | Region | Devolved government's share of identifiable public spending (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Ireland | 91.1% |
| 2 | Scotland | 45.7% |
| 3 | Wales | 33.9% |
More on Scotland: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · the United Kingdom
Sources
- 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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