Private sector led new housebuilding

The private sector is the biggest contributor to overall house building, accounting for 78% of all homes completed in 2025-26. Some of the homes the private sector builds will be built for social rent and subsequently reported in the Affordable Housing Supply Programme figures.

The private sector built 13,494 new homes and started 11,018 new builds in 2025-26. Completions were down 8% (-1,217 homes) and starts down 12% (-1,483 homes) between 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Chart 2: Private sector new housebuilding starts and completions, Scotland, 1996-97 to 2025-26

Chart 2 shows the annual number of private sector led house building starts and completions from 1996-97 to 2025-26. Aside from 2020-21 where Covid-19 impacted housebuilding, private sector completions were the lowest since 2017-18. Starts were the lowest since 2012-13 and are lower than the level of starts (by 21%) seen when Covid-19 impacted housebuilding in 2020-21.

The time series of completions per 10,000 population by local authority and at Scotland level is now available in one place, making it easier for users to assess building in relation to the differing populations over time. Chart 3 shows private sector housebuilding completions rates per 10,000 population in Scotland. In 2025-26, 24 homes per 10,000 population were built.

Chart 3: Private sector new housebuilding completion rates per 10,000 population, Scotland, 1996-97 to 2025-26

Map B illustrates that East Lothian, West Lothian, Midlothian and Na h-Eileanan Siar are the local authorities with the highest private sector led completion rates in 2025-26 (rates of over 45 homes built per 10,000 population).

The lowest are South Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Shetland, Dundee City, Stirling, Falkirk, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Argyll & Bute and Scottish Borders with rates of 15 or fewer homes built per 10,000 population.

Map B: New housebuilding – private sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, 2025-26

The latest quarterly data and comparison to the corresponding quarter in the previous year ending March are shown in the ‘Quarterly Comparisons’ section. Timeseries data along with local authority breakdowns are contained in the supporting Excel tables.