Number of city homes to soar as more people end up living alone

The number of households around Scotland’s largest cities is expected to rise over the next quarter of a century as the population ages and more people end up living alone.

New figures released by the National Records of Scotland show that the growth will take place around Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow – areas where three-quarters of the Scottish population already lives.

The projected growth around the cities ranges from a 12 per cent rise in Glasgow and Clyde to 24 per cent in Aberdeen City and Shire.

The Edinburgh area will see a 22 per cent increase over the next 25 years with the Dundee area experiencing a 13 per cent rise.

The rising number of households will be caused by rising levels of population combined with a decreasing average number of people per household. Across Scotland a 7 per cent increase in population will be accompanied by a 14 per cent rise in the number of households.

The figures also revealed a growth in the number of households in Scotland’s national parks areas, although at a slower rate. The rise in households in the Cairngorm National Park was projected at 6 per cent and 1 per cent for the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

The figures illustrated the extent to which Scotland’s population is ageing and predicts that in the future older people are more likely to live in smaller households or alone.

By 2039, at least 29 per cent of households will be headed by people aged 65 or over in each of these areas, with the highest figures being in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park (51 per cent of households).

In Scotland as a whole the proportion of people living alone will rise from 20 per cent to 24 per cent.

The greatest proportion of those living on their own will be in Glasgow and Clyde where the percentage is calculated to rise from 21 per cent to 27 per cent.

Tim Ellis, the chief executive of National Records of Scotland, said: “Today’s figures show a projected rise in the numberofhouseholdsaround Scotland’s four biggest cities, where around three quarters of the population lives.

Although the number of households is also expected to rise in the two National Parks, the rise is much lower.

“These statistics play an important role helping us predict where people will be living over the next 25 years, allowing policy makers to reach decisions about housing and services in Scotland.”