This is a list of towns and cities in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
with a population of more than 15,000, ordered by population, as defined and compiled by the
National Records of Scotland
National Records of Scotland ( gd, Clàran Nàiseanta na h-Alba) is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government. It is responsible for Civil registry, civil registration, the census in Scotland, demography and statistics, family histor ...
organisation.
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
is the largest city in Scotland by both area and population, whilst the countries capital city,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, is the second largest by population and area. The city of
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
has the smallest population amongst Scotland's cities, with an estimate population of just over 37,000 inhabitants. In total, Scotland consists of eight cities, with multiple larger towns, the largest town being
Paisley.
This article is divided into two sections. The first section of this article ("Localities") contains a list of basic populated areas ordered by population. The second section of this article ("Settlements") is a list of populated
urban area
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...
s, some of which are composed of more than one locality, and which may span across the boundaries of more than one
council area {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A council area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act. ...
.
All localities are either settlements, themselves, or contained within larger settlements. As of 2020, there are 656 localities in Scotland, and 514 settlements (i.e. 142 of the localities combine as elements of larger settlements).
[Data Tables](_blank)
id-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland National Records of Scotland
National Records of Scotland ( gd, Clàran Nàiseanta na h-Alba) is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government. It is responsible for Civil registry, civil registration, the census in Scotland, demography and statistics, family histor ...
, 31 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022
Localities
In Scotland, locality refers to a populated area composed of contiguous
postcodes
A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal ...
with populations of at least 500.
The 52 localities with a population over 15,000 are listed below.
Settlements
In Scotland, settlement refers to a "collection of contiguous high density postcodes bounded by low density postcodes whose population was 500 or more". For example, the area of Ayr includes the adjoining localities of Ayr and Prestwick. However, most settlements coincide to a single locality. The 44 settlements with a population over 15,000 are listed below.
See also
*
Local government in Scotland
Local government in Scotland comprises thirty-two local authorities, commonly referred to as councils. Each council provides public services, including education, social care, waste management, libraries and planning. Councils receive the majori ...
*
Subdivisions of Scotland
For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" ( gd, comhairlean), which are all governed by single-tier authorities designated as "councils". They have the option under the Local Government (Ga ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scotland, Towns And Cities By Population
Towns and cities by population
Population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
Towns And Cities by Population
2001 United Kingdom census
Population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
United Kingdom lists by population
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
Lists of cities by population