Key Points

New housebuilding by sector

• Across both the private and social sector (all-tenure) 17,336 new homes were built (completed), and 14,999 homes were started in 2025, with completions down 13% (‑2,509) and starts down 6% (‑919) from 2024.
• The private sector built 13,725 new homes and started 11,929 new builds in 2025. Completions were down 9% (-1,285) and starts down 3% (-362) from 2024.
• The social sector built 3,611 homes new homes and started 3,070 new builds in 2025, Completions were down 25% (-1,224) and starts down 15% (-557) from 2024.
• Private sector completions were the lowest since 2017 and starts were the lowest since 2013. Social sector completions were the lowest since 2014 and starts were the lowest since the beginning of this data collection in 1997. This analysis excluded 2020, where Covid-19 impacted housebuilding

Affordable Housing Supply Programme

• In 2025, the Scottish Governments Affordable Housing Supply Programme delivered 5,833 approvals, 5,856 starts, and 6,289 completions, covering social rent, affordable rent, and affordable home ownership, including new builds, rehabilitations and off‑the‑shelf purchases.
• Approvals, starts and completions in 2025 all decreased compared with 2024: approvals by 9% (‑607), starts by 15% (‑1,011), and completions by 25% (‑2,041). Approvals in 2025 were 53% below the 2018 peak, with starts at their lowest since 2013 and completions at their lowest since 2014. However, in the last 6 months of 2025, increases in approvals (58% increase, 1,153 homes) and starts (21% increase, 543 homes) compared with the same period in 2024 were seen.
• Progress towards the 110,000 affordable housing target by 2032 (where at least 70% will be for social rent): as of December 2025, 32,479 homes had been delivered — 77% social rent (25,016), 15% affordable rent (4,750), and 8% affordable home ownership (2,713).