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Orkney Islands

Council area

North Scotland. 21,920 people (mid-2025 estimate) in 1,015 square kilometres, the 5th most sparsely populated council in the UK.

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Deprivation by neighbourhood

Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020v2

Most deprived 10%Least

None of Orkney Islands’ 29 neighbourhoods are in Scotland’s most deprived 20%.

Average house price
£214,106
Down 0.3% in a year
HM Land Registry · Jul 2026
Median full-time pay
£43,430
79th highest paid of 348
ONS earnings survey · 2025
House price to pay
4.9×
Joint 39th most affordable of 348
Worked out by Open Index
Population estimate
21,920
Down 0.4% in a year
ONS population estimates · 2025

How Orkney Islands compares

Each dot is a council. The black line marks the middle one.

Orkney IslandsMiddle
Average house price360 areas, UK · Jul 2026
Average house price: every council in UK360 areas from £115,401 to £1,232,640. The middle area is £272,474. Orkney Islands is £214,106.
£214,10698th cheapest
Annual price change360 areas, UK · Jul 2026
Annual price change: every council in UK360 areas from −20.7% to 12.8%. The middle area is 2.3%. Orkney Islands is −0.3%.
−0.3%joint 88th weakest
Median full-time pay348 areas, Great Britain · 2025
Median full-time pay: every council in Great Britain348 areas from £29,805 to £57,396. The middle area is £38,490. Orkney Islands is £43,430.
£43,43079th highest paid
House price to pay348 areas, Great Britain · 2025
House price to pay: every council in Great Britain348 areas from 3.1× to 23.4×. The middle area is 7.3×. Orkney Islands is 4.9×.
4.9×joint 39th most affordable
Population estimate361 areas, UK · 2025
Population estimate: every council in UK361 areas from 2,299 to 1,176,960. The middle area is 148,772. Orkney Islands is 21,920.
21,9203rd least populated
Annual population change361 areas, UK · 2025
Annual population change: every council in UK361 areas from −3.5% to 2.4%. The middle area is 0.4%. Orkney Islands is −0.4%.
−0.4%joint 41st slowest growing

Every council ranked: average house price, annual price change, median full-time pay, house price to pay, population estimate and annual population change.

House prices since 2004

Monthly average house price, smoothed. Orkney Islands’ is 3.2 times its 2004 level, faster than Scotland’s.

House prices since 2004Average house price each month for Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, January 2004 to July 2026. Source: UK House Price Index.
House prices since 2004
MonthOrkney IslandsScotlandUnited Kingdom
Jan 2004£66,962£76,662£126,179
Jan 2005£65,680£90,440£138,759
Jan 2006£78,854£105,257£147,360
Jan 2007£88,147£121,923£162,825
Jan 2008£94,773£133,172£171,137
Jan 2009£98,647£119,792£144,840
Jan 2010£105,756£124,112£154,268
Jan 2011£103,032£124,856£154,113
Jan 2012£139,125£120,989£152,831
Jan 2013£112,784£117,973£154,495
Jan 2014£106,494£122,220£164,137
Jan 2015£119,544£129,869£175,636
Jan 2016£110,985£131,634£189,268
Jan 2017£114,514£133,141£198,276
Jan 2018£135,579£141,353£206,844
Jan 2019£149,595£144,124£210,317
Jan 2020£155,057£147,731£213,657
Jan 2021£158,073£157,866£228,417
Jan 2022£185,719£173,589£248,031
Jan 2023£203,526£175,092£260,941
Jan 2024£192,991£179,248£255,972
Jan 2025£210,639£185,315£264,936
Jan 2026£229,836£189,118£268,862
Jul 2026£214,106£196,349£272,611

Wards in Orkney Islands6

Middle areas in Orkney Islands6

Postcodes in Orkney Islands1

Neighbourhoods in Orkney Islands32
Orkney Islands in brief

Orkney Islands’ average house price was £214,106 in July 2026.

Full-time workers living in Orkney Islands earned a median of £43,430 in 2025.

A home in Orkney Islands costs 4.9 times local full-time pay.

Orkney Islands’ population was an estimated 21,920 in mid-2025.