# Cowdenbeath South west Fife. About 22,277 people (mid-2024 estimate) in 36 square kilometres. Cowdenbeath had 22,161 usual residents at the census (Scotland's Census 2022). Ward. Code S13003128. In: [Scotland](https://openindex.co.uk/scotland) › [Fife](https://openindex.co.uk/fife) ## Key figures - **Population: 22,161** (2021). Cowdenbeath had 22,161 usual residents at the census (Scotland's Census 2022). 102nd most populated of 8,397. Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, 2021. Published 21 July 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/cowdenbeath#f-population - **People in radon Affected Area squares: 7%** (2022). About 7% of people in Cowdenbeath live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. UK 44%. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UKHSA and BGS radon atlas and census output areas. Published 1 December 2022. https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/cowdenbeath#f-radon-affected-share - **Gigabit broadband coverage: 88.7%** (January 2026). In Cowdenbeath, 88.7% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026 (Ofcom). UK 87.8%. Source: Connected Nations (Ofcom), January 2026. Published 13 May 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/cowdenbeath#f-gigabit-coverage - **Claimant rate: 3.7%** (August 2026). In Cowdenbeath, 3.7% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026 (ONS via Nomis). UK 3.9%. Source: Claimant count (Nomis), August 2026. Published 15 September 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/cowdenbeath#f-claimant-rate ## On the map - [Radon Affected Area by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=S13003128) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 7% of people in Cowdenbeath live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. - [Average house price by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-prices?place=S13003128) (UK House Price Index · August 2026): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of Fife. The outline is Cowdenbeath. - [Crimes by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/scotland-crime-count?place=S13003128) (Recorded crimes and offences in Scotland · 2025/26): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of Fife. The outline is Cowdenbeath. - [Population by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=S13003128) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Cowdenbeath had 22,161 usual residents at the census. ## How Cowdenbeath compares Each ward against every other ward the measure covers. | Measure | Cowdenbeath | Rank | Compared with | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Population | 22,161 | 2nd most populated | 22 wards, Fife · 2021 | | People in radon Affected Area squares | 7% | joint 10th fewest people in radon Affected Areas | 22 wards, Fife · 2022 | | Gigabit broadband coverage | 88.7% | 10th highest | 22 wards, Fife · Jan 2026 | | Claimant rate | 3.7% | joint 6th highest | 22 wards, Fife · Aug 2026 | ## What is the population of Cowdenbeath? Cowdenbeath had 22,161 usual residents at the census. Cowdenbeath is the 102nd most populated of 8,397 in the UK. ## Figures for the whole of Fife These figures are published for the whole of Fife, not for each ward, so they describe all of Fife and not Cowdenbeath alone. [See Fife](https://openindex.co.uk/fife) - **Average house price: £182,463** (August 2026). Fife’s average house price was £182,463 in August 2026 (HM Land Registry). Up 5.1% in a year. Source: UK House Price Index, August 2026. Published 21 October 2026. - **Median full-time pay: £38,913** (2025). Full-time workers living in Fife earned a median of £38,913 in 2025 (ONS earnings survey). 162nd highest paid of 348. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025. Published 23 October 2025. - **House price to pay: 4.7×** (2025). A home in Fife costs 4.7 times local full-time pay. Joint 33rd most affordable of 348. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UK House Price Index and the ONS earnings survey. Published 21 October 2026. - **Population estimate: 373,990** (2025). Fife’s population was an estimated 373,990 in mid-2025 (ONS population estimates). Down 0.2% in a year. Source: Mid-year population estimates, 2025. Published 1 October 2026. ## Cowdenbeath in brief Cowdenbeath had 22,161 usual residents at the census. About 7% of people in Cowdenbeath live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. In Cowdenbeath, 88.7% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026. In Cowdenbeath, 3.7% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026. ## About - Type: Ward - Code: S13003128 - Constituency: [Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/cowdenbeath-and-kirkcaldy) - Council: [Fife](https://openindex.co.uk/fife) - Nation: [Scotland](https://openindex.co.uk/scotland) - Area: 36.26 km² - People, mid-2024: 22,277* - Neighbourhoods: 31 - Output areas: 188 * People: worked out by Open Index from neighbourhood estimates, shared out by where people lived at the census (by area in Northern Ireland). This area's edges do not follow neighbourhood edges, so the figure is close but not exact. † Best fit: the constituency this ward mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow it. ## Next door [Lochgelly, Cardenden and Benarty](https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/lochgelly-cardenden-and-benarty), [Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay](https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/inverkeithing-and-dalgety-bay), [Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy](https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/burntisland-kinghorn-and-western-kirkcaldy), [Dunfermline North](https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/dunfermline-north), [West Fife and Coastal Villages](https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/west-fife-and-coastal-villages), [Dunfermline Central](https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/dunfermline-central) ## Latest updates for Cowdenbeath - August 2026 house prices published: HM Land Registry and partners · Oct 2026. - September 2026 rent published: ONS private rents · Oct 2026. - Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026. - GP practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026. The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/S13003128 ## How to cite Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/cowdenbeath, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/cowdenbeath#f-population. Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it. Snapshot 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/fife/ward/cowdenbeath