Hate crimes recorded by the police in Scotland, 2023-24

Geographic location of hate crimes (Table 1, 2)

In 2023-24, the number of hate crimes recorded by Police Scotland per 10,000 of the population was highest in Clackmannanshire and Glasgow City local authority areas (23 and 22 crimes per 10,000 population respectively)^[2] (Table 2). The Na h-Eileanan Siar and Orkney Islands local authority areas had the lowest rates.The relatively higher rate in Clackmannanshire for 2023-24 may reflect a degree of data fluctuation given this is Scotland’s smallest mainland local authority area. It is based on there being 120 hate crimes recorded in 2023-24, compared to 54 in 2022-23 and 86 in 2021-22.

As noted above, Glasgow City local authority area has the second highest number of hate crimes recorded per 10,000 population, with City of Edinburgh third (19 crimes per 10,000 population). Whilst these two areas collectively accounted for 21% of Scotland’s population in 2023 (the latest available data), they accounted for 2,404 (38.6%) of all hate crimes recorded by Police Scotland in 2023-24. This could, at least in part, relate to the relatively higher level of ethnic diversity present within these two areas (the majority (60%) of associated hate crimes included a race aggravation – see Table 3). The 2022 Scottish Census reported that Glasgow City and the City of Edinburgh local authority areas have 19.3% and 15.1%, respectively, of their population comprised of non-white ethnic groups, compared to the Scottish average of 7.1%. Other factors that may lead to the relatively higher number of recorded hate crimes within these two local authorities include the presence of a large night-time economy, and a large daily influx of visitors, workers and tourists. They are also more frequently used as the location for large scale events and the holding of demonstrations.