Scottish Government workforce diversity and inclusion statistics 2025
Statistics on the diversity of core Scottish Government permanent staff and the experiences of different demographic groups within the workforce.
Religion - Scottish Government
The data below cover staff working in core Scottish Government directorate generals, selected agencies and selected non-ministerial departments. Data covering staff in core Scottish Government directorate generals only are also available. More details can be found in the notes page of this publication.
Declaration rates for religion are 74.7% in our internal HR system, 69.6% in our recruitment system, and 99.1% in the People Survey.
The “any other religion” category below consists of individuals identifying as Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, Sikh, and any other non-Christian religion.
Workforce composition
Staff who haven’t declared their religion are not included in the percentages below.
Headcounts
Staff belonging to a non-Christian religion make up 4% of the Scottish Government workforce, compared with 10% of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 who are non-Christian religious.
Staff belonging to a Christian religion make up 29.6% of the Scottish Government workforce, compared with 34.7% of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 who are Christian.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce by religion and by UK Civil Service pay band or working pattern (i.e. full-time or part-time). Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows where data are significantly higher or lower than the overall Scottish Government representation. The religion breakdown of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 is included as a comparison where available.
A table in the supplementary dataset also shows the breakdown for each Scottish Government agency, Director General area, or other body covered by this publication.
Figure 6a: Pay band or working pattern, by religion - December 2025
Part-time staff make up 16.6% of all permanent staff.
Recruitment
16.9% of applications come from applicants belonging to a non-Christian religion, dropping to 6.8% of applicants accepting an offer.
32.7% of applications come from applicants belonging to a Christian religion, dropping to 25.8% of applicants accepting an offer.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of applicants by religion at each stage of the recruitment process. Applicants applying to multiple jobs are included once for each application they submit. The religion breakdown of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 is included as a comparison where available.
Figure 6b: Recruitment stages reached in 2025, by religion
The stages of the recruitment process are explained in the notes page of this publication.
Turnover
Staff belonging to a non-Christian religion account for 6.2% of joiners and 3.5% of leavers.
Staff belonging to a Christian religion account for 27.6% of joiners and 35.2% of leavers.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce, staff who joined in 2025 and staff who left in 2025 by religion. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows where the proportions of joiners or leavers are significantly higher or lower than the overall Scottish Government representation. The religion breakdown of Scotland’s working-age population is included as a comparison where available.
Figure 6c: Joiners and leavers in 2025, by religion
The chart above does not include any movement to, from, or between any other Scottish Government organisations.
There is a higher rate of uncertainty in the breakdown of joiners, as the declaration rate of religion among staff increases with time spent working for the Scottish Government.
Staff experiences
Figures for staff who haven’t declared their religion are not included in the charts below, although they are included in the total figures.
Absences
Staff belonging to a non-Christian religion lost an average of 11.8 working days to sickness absences.
Staff belonging to a Christian religion lost an average of 8.8 working days to sickness absences.
Non-religious staff lost an average of 9.1 working days to sickness absences.
AWDL is a measure of absence levels that allows for comparison between different groups. A higher AWDL indicates a higher rate of days absent relative to the number of staff in that group and their working pattern.
Figure 6d: Average working days lost in 2025, by religion
Performance
53.8% of staff belonging to a Christian religion received a marking of ‘Highly Effective’ or ‘Exceptional’ in 2025.
56.4% of non-religious staff received a marking of ‘Highly Effective’ or ‘Exceptional’ in 2025.
Performance is assessed annually in April. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows where a significantly higher or lower proportion of a group received that marking than the proportion among all staff. The overall staff proportions include staff who have not made a declaration.
Figure 6e: Performance markings in 2024-25, by religion
Substantive promotions
3.4% of staff belonging to a non-Christian religion were promoted in 2025.
3.9% of staff belonging to a Christian religion were promoted in 2025.
5.5% of non-religious staff were promoted in 2025.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of staff promoted in 2025 by religion. The percentages below are not the success rates of staff who applied for promotion. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows to indicate figures that are significantly higher or lower than the staff average. The staff average includes staff who have not made a declaration.
Figure 6f: Proportion of staff promoted in 2025, by religion
The “not promoted” group includes the following staff:
- Staff who were unsuccessful in their application for a promotion in 2025.
- Staff who did not apply for a promotion in 2025.
- Staff who achieved a promotion in 2025 but did not start their new position until 2026.
Temporary promotions
3.2% of staff belonging to a non-Christian religion were on a temporary promotion.
3.8% of staff belonging to a Christian religion were on a temporary promotion.
4.2% of non-religious staff were on a temporary promotion.
The chart below shows the proportion of Scottish Government staff on a temporary promotion. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows where proportions of staff on a temporary promotion are significantly higher or lower than the overall proportion within the Scottish Government. The overall proportion includes staff who have not made a declaration.
Figure 6g: Proportion of staff on a temporary promotion on 31 December 2025, by religion
Workforce culture
Workforce culture data used in this publication come from the Civil Service People Survey and cover core Scottish Government (SG Core) staff only. These data can be found on the SG Core page.