Private sector led new housebuilding

The private sector is the biggest contributor to overall house building, accounting for just over three quarters (76.7%) of all homes completed in 2024-25. Some of the homes the private sector builds will be built for social rent and subsequently reported in the affordable housing supply programme figures.

In 2024-25, there were 14,798 private sector led house building completions and 11,902 starts, as Chart 2 indicates. Private sector led new build completions have increased by 0.4% (65 homes), whilst starts have decreased by 11.5% (- 1,551 homes) in 2024-25 compared with the previous financial year.

Chart 2: Private sector new housebuilding starts and completions, 2003-04 to 2024-25

Chart 2 shows the annual number of private sector led house building starts and completions from 2003-04 to 2024-25 (ending in March). New build completions were similar to the previous financial year, whilst starts were at the lowest point since the 2012-13 financial year.

Map B illustrates that East Lothian, Midlothian, Na h-Eileanan Siar and West Lothian are local authorities with the highest private sector led completion rates in 2024-25 (rate of over 45 homes built per 10,000 population).

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

Map B: New build housing – private sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, in 2024-25

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