Private sector led new housebuilding

The private sector is the biggest contributor to overall house building, accounting for 79% of all homes completed in 2025. 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 13,725 new homes and started 11,929 new builds in 2025. Completions were down 9% (-1,285) and starts down 3% (-362) between 2024 and 2025.

Chart 2: Private sector new housebuilding starts and completions, Scotland, 2004 to 2025

Chart 2 shows the annual number of private sector led house building starts and completions from 2004 to 2025. Excluding 2020 (where Covid-19 impacted housebuilding), private sector completions were the lowest since 2017 and starts were the lowest since 2013.

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

The lowest are Argyll & Bute, Angus, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, Orkney islands, Scottish Borders, Shetland Islands and South Ayrshire 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

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