# Fastest and slowest growing places in Scotland (2025)

East Lothian was the fastest growing of Scotland’s 32 councils in 2025 (annual population change 1.1%).

Clackmannanshire was the slowest growing (−0.7%). The middle council, North Ayrshire, had −0.1%.

Worked out by Open Index from the mid-year population estimates.

| Rank | Area | Annual population change |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [East Lothian](https://openindex.co.uk/east-lothian) | 1.1% |
| 2 | [Midlothian](https://openindex.co.uk/midlothian) | 0.7% |
| =3 | [Glasgow](https://openindex.co.uk/glasgow) | 0.6% |
| =3 | [West Lothian](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lothian) | 0.6% |
| =5 | [East Renfrewshire](https://openindex.co.uk/east-renfrewshire) | 0.4% |
| =5 | [South Lanarkshire](https://openindex.co.uk/south-lanarkshire) | 0.4% |
| =7 | [Perth and Kinross](https://openindex.co.uk/perth-and-kinross) | 0.3% |
| =7 | [Renfrewshire](https://openindex.co.uk/renfrewshire) | 0.3% |
| 9 | [Falkirk](https://openindex.co.uk/falkirk) | 0.2% |
| 10 | [North Lanarkshire](https://openindex.co.uk/north-lanarkshire) | 0.1% |
| =11 | [East Ayrshire](https://openindex.co.uk/east-ayrshire) | 0.0% |
| =11 | [South Ayrshire](https://openindex.co.uk/south-ayrshire) | 0.0% |
| =13 | [East Dunbartonshire](https://openindex.co.uk/east-dunbartonshire) | −0.1% |
| =13 | [Edinburgh](https://openindex.co.uk/edinburgh) | −0.1% |
| =13 | [Highland](https://openindex.co.uk/highland) | −0.1% |
| =13 | [North Ayrshire](https://openindex.co.uk/north-ayrshire) | −0.1% |
| =17 | [Aberdeenshire](https://openindex.co.uk/aberdeenshire) | −0.2% |
| =17 | [Fife](https://openindex.co.uk/fife) | −0.2% |
| =17 | [Inverclyde](https://openindex.co.uk/inverclyde) | −0.2% |
| =17 | [Moray](https://openindex.co.uk/moray) | −0.2% |
| =21 | [Angus](https://openindex.co.uk/angus) | −0.3% |
| =21 | [Dumfries and Galloway](https://openindex.co.uk/dumfries-and-galloway) | −0.3% |
| =21 | [Scottish Borders](https://openindex.co.uk/scottish-borders) | −0.3% |
| =24 | [Orkney Islands](https://openindex.co.uk/orkney-islands) | −0.4% |
| =24 | [Shetland Islands](https://openindex.co.uk/shetland-islands) | −0.4% |
| =26 | [Aberdeen](https://openindex.co.uk/aberdeen) | −0.5% |
| =26 | [Argyll and Bute](https://openindex.co.uk/argyll-and-bute) | −0.5% |
| =26 | [West Dunbartonshire](https://openindex.co.uk/west-dunbartonshire) | −0.5% |
| =29 | [Dundee](https://openindex.co.uk/dundee) | −0.6% |
| =29 | [Na h-Eileanan Siar](https://openindex.co.uk/na-h-eileanan-siar) | −0.6% |
| =29 | [Stirling](https://openindex.co.uk/stirling) | −0.6% |
| 32 | [Clackmannanshire](https://openindex.co.uk/clackmannanshire) | −0.7% |

Source: Worked out by Open Index from the mid-year population estimates. Period: 2025. Period: 2025.

## Other rankings of this measure

- [UK](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/uk)
- [England](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/england)
- [Northern Ireland](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/northern-ireland)
- [Wales](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/wales)
- [North East](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/north-east)
- [North West](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/north-west)
- [Yorkshire and The Humber](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/yorkshire-and-the-humber)
- [East Midlands](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/east-midlands)
- [West Midlands](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/west-midlands)
- [East of England](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/east-of-england)
- [London](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/london)
- [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/south-east)
- [South West](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/south-west)

- [The map](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population-change)
- [Source and method](https://openindex.co.uk/sources/population-change)

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-change/scotland.

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/rankings/population-change/scotland