mid-year-household-estimates.csv
type: Distribution
table schema: Schema
  column: Column
    datatype: text
    name: GeographyType
  column: Column
    datatype: text
    name: GeographyName
  column: Column
    datatype: text
    name: Units
  column: Column
    datatype: int
    name: DateCode
  column: Column
    datatype: text
    name: Measurement
  column: Column
    datatype: int
    name: Value
  column: Column
    datatype: text
    name: GeographyCode
access URL: https://admin.data.gov.scot/resource/8347e577-78f0-4a7b-bbe1-b591a0b1d86c/download
description: Data file for Mid-Year Household Estimates
format: CSV
issued: 2026-08-13T12:04:00.711147
modified: 2026-08-13T12:04:00.706865
comment: The number of households in each council area and in Scotland
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyName
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Units
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Value
  type: int
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyCode
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Measurement
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dictionary: Column
  column: DateCode
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dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyType
  type: text

National Records of Scotland
type: Agent

Housing
type: Concept

Mid-Year Household Estimates
type: Dataset
version notes: Revisions and corrections to previously published estimates are dealt with in accordance with the Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy statement on revisions and corrections - a copy of which is available at this [link](https://www.gov.scot/publications/producing-official-statistics/pages/revisions-and-corrections/).
contact point: Kind
contact point: Organization
theme: Housing
description: This dataset contains information on the number ('count') of households in each council area and in Scotland. The estimates are based on summary information on the number of dwellings in different categories provided by each council to the Scottish Government, using the Council Tax Base form, 'Ctaxbase', available from the Scottish Government website. Council Tax data contains information on the various discounts/exemptions awarded to each dwelling in Scotland. From these we can determine which dwellings are occupied and which are vacant or second homes. Information about the number of dwellings by their occupancy status is published on statistics.gov.scot in the ['Household Estimates'](https://statistics.gov.scot/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fdata%2Fhousehold-estimates) dataset. The number of occupied dwellings is roughly equivalent to the number of households in a council area. Data is provided in September each year, however the mid-year household estimate for Scotland and each council area is calculated by adjusting the number of occupied dwellings from September back to June. This is to be in line with the mid-year population estimates and household projections which are both based at 30 June each year. A further adjustment is made to account for differences in the number of households estimated from Council Tax data and recorded in Scotland's Census 2011 and 2022. For full details of the methods used see the [Methodology guide](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/media/fzrd0k3e/household-estimates-2024-methodology-guide.pdf) included in the most recent publication on the [National Records of Scotland (NRS)](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/households-and-dwellings-in-scotland-2024/#) website.
issued: 2026-08-13T12:02:52.781284
modified: 2026-08-13T12:04:00.700411
accuracy: Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Totals may not equal the sum of their parts as a result of this rounding. NRS's household estimates use data on occupied dwellings taken from Council Tax systems. Although an occupied dwelling is roughly equivalent to a household, the number of occupied dwellings can differ from the number of households recorded by the census. One reason is that some dwellings may be shared by more than one household; each household would be counted by the Census but only the dwelling would be counted in Council Tax data. Another reason is that certain communal establishments (for example student halls of residence) will be included in the count of occupied dwellings from Council Tax systems but would not be classified as households in the census. The occupied dwellings figures are adjusted to account for differences between Council Tax data and the census. However, as we move further from the most recent census this may not fully account for the discrepancies. In order to produce statistics about occupied and vacant dwellings for smaller geographic areas, NRS collects equivalent data from Council Tax systems at neighbourhood (data zone) level. This collection is carried out in September each year to align with the timing of the Ctaxbase collection. The neighbourhood data is available from the [NRS website](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/small-area-statistics-on-households-and-dwellings-2024/#), and is published on statistics.gov.scot as the 'Household Estimates' dataset. For a number of council areas, the totals from summing data zone figures do not exactly match the council area figures from 'Ctaxbase'. For example, some dwellings on the Council Tax systems do not have postcode information or have invalid postcode information. The postcode is used to identify the data zone, so a dwelling without a postcode will not be included in the data zone level figures. In most cases where there are differences, councils have …
comment: The number of households in each council area and in Scotland
completeness: It is the policy of the NRS to make its website and products accessible according to published guidelines. It is the policy of the NRS to make its website and products accessible according to published guidelines. More information is available in the Accessibility section of the [NRS website](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/accessibility).
confidentiality: This dataset does not contain any directly identifiable personal information.
consistency: The statistics are also provided in Excel format on the NRS website. They are designed to be consistent, and incorporate comparable historical data where appropriate.
geographical coverage: S12
geographical coverage: S92
license id: uk-ogl
next update: 2026-06-01
quality management: Estimates are compared with earlier years' data, and with dwellings data extracted from the Assessor's Portal, to identify any potential issues. Explanations for large changes in total dwellings are sought from local authorities. The total number of dwellings of each occupation status in each local authority is also compared to the neighbourhood scale (data zone level) collection of Council Tax data used to produce NRS' small area household estimates (published on statistics.gov.scot as the ['Household Estimates'](https://statistics.gov.scot/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fdata%2Fhousehold-estimates) dataset).
reference period: PeriodOfTime
  end date: 2024
  start date: 2001
timeliness: Data is received from Council Tax billing systems on the first Monday of September each year and published the following summer.
uniqueness: Not assessed
update frequency: annual
validity: The statistics are mainly used for informing Councils' decisions about housing need and service provision. They are also used as the denominator for other statistics (e.g. the percentage of households receiving benefits).
will be updated: true