Student Homelessness figures in Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

Information regarding homelessness in Scotland, particularly information concerning students and informal accommodation arrangements sometimes referred to as “couchsurfing”:

Overall Homelessness Figures

• Copies of the most recent annual statistics on homelessness in Scotland, including the number of individuals assessed as homeless and the number of households assessed as homeless.
• A breakdown of these figures by age group, specifically highlighting those aged 18–25 (or the closest available age range).
• Any data specifically identifying students within homelessness figures.

Recording and Classification of Informal Accommodation (Couch-Surfing)

• Whether the Scottish Government currently records data on individuals who are not in statutory homelessness but are living in informal accommodation arrangements commonly described as “couchsurfing,” “sofa-surfing,” or similar terms.
• If yes, please provide:
• The most recent figures on such individuals, including age group and, if possible, student status.
• Definitions or criteria used to classify an individual as couch-surfing rather than statutorily homeless.
• If no, please confirm that couch-surfing is not separately recorded within the homelessness data, and explain whether there are plans to collect this information in the future.

Related Definitions and Records

• Copies of any internal guidance, operational definitions, or recording protocols used by the Scottish Government to differentiate between statutory homelessness and other insecure housing arrangements (for example, couchsurfing).
• Any reports, reviews, or research undertaken in the last five years that relate to student homelessness and informal housing arrangements.

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested because an exemption under section 17 (information not held) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why that exemption(s) applies are explained in the response below.

Overall Homelessness Figures

• The most recent Scottish Government statistics on homelessness in Scotland can be found here: Homelessness in Scotland: update to 30 September 2025.
• The number of individuals assessed as homeless can be found in Table 11 of Tables_Homelessness in Scotland update to 30 September 2025.
• The number of households assessed as homeless can be found in Table 9 of Tables_Homelessness in Scotland update to 30 September 2025.
• A more detailed breakdown of homelessness data by age group can be found in tables ET9 and ET7 respectively of Equality tables_Homelessness in Scotland 2024-25.
• While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have this information you have requested. The Scottish Government collects information on individuals who present to local authorities as homeless; however, it is not possible to identify from this data whether an applicant is a student.

Further information about the homelessness process and a comprehensive homelessness statistics is available in our annual publication: Homelessness in Scotland: 2024-25 - gov.scot.

Recording and Classification of Informal Accommodation (Couch-Surfing)

• The Scottish Government collects data on households that make a homelessness application to local authorities within Scotland. A household is considered to be statutorily homeless if they have no accommodation in the UK or elsewhere, or have accommodation but cannot reasonably occupy it. Individuals who meet this definition and are ”sofa-surfing” or “couchsurfing” would therefore be considered statutorily homeless. The Scottish Government collects data on property type from which households become homeless from, of which, long-term “sofa-surfing” is one of the categories. Please note the Scottish Government does not collect any information for households that are homeless but do not engage with their local authority, and so the published statistics do not necessarily cover the entire homelessness population in Scotland.
• The number of households assessed as statutorily homeless stating they have become homeless from longterm “sofa-surfing” can be found in Table 12 of Tables_Homelessness in Scotland update to 30 September 2025. Figures broken down by age can be found in table ET11 of Equality tables_Homelessness in Scotland 2024-25. As noted in the answer to 1c., no information is held on student status.
• As noted in the answer to 2a., those who are couch-surfing and those who are statutorily homeless are not necessarily distinct. For households who make a homelessness application, guidance is provided to record homeless from long-term “sofa-surfing” where an applicant has been moving between friends’ homes for a period of six months or more. Some stays may have been longer than others, but the predominant pattern is one of constantly moving from home to home. Where only one or two friends’ homes have been used for most of the period “friends/partners” should be selected instead.
• See information provided within answer to 2a.

Related Definitions and Record

• While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have this information you have requested. The Scottish Government has no internal guidance, operational definitions, or recording protocols to differentiate between statutory homelessness and other insecure housing arrangements.
• Research undertaken in the last five years can be found here Research into housing insecurity and hidden homelessness. This research briefly touches on students.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.