Scottish Islands Data Overview (2025)
The Scottish Islands Data Dashboard has been updated following a review of available data. This report summarises the findings. It highlights changes between data available in 2025 and data first collated in 2023 and gives an overview of longer term trends in Scotland's Islands.
7 Housing
A larger proportion of housing stock in island local authorities is energy inefficient than the Scottish average. Seven out of ten islanders think there is not enough housing available to meet local demand. House prices are highest in the Highland Islands followed by the Argyll Islands.
7.1 Energy Efficiency
With the exception of North Ayrshire, every island local authority has a much larger proportion of energy inefficient properties than the Scottish average*. For instance, Orkney has amongst the highest proportion of F or G rated dwellings (17%) compared to 4% in Scotland overall. Low energy efficiency results in homes being more expensive to heat and increases the risk of fuel poverty.
Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey: Local Authority Analysis 2017-2019, Scottish Government (2021).
*Note: characteristics of the housing stock in an area can affect energy efficiency. For instance, detached houses and housing off the gas grid are more common in island areas and more likely to be F and G rated.
7.2 Second Homes
The Scottish islands contain 2% of Scotland's total dwellings, but 17% of Scotland’s second homes. 17% of all homes in Arran, Bute and the Cumbraes are second homes.[12]
7.3 Housing Availability and House Building
In 2023 seven out of ten islanders think there is not enough housing available to meet local demand according to the Scottish Household Survey (2023). On average, 53% of islanders disagree that there is affordable housing in their local area, however views differ significantly between island groups. Island house prices are increasing as they are in the Scottish mainland. According to Registers of Scotland data, in 2024, average house prices were highest in the Argyll Islands and the Highland Islands.[13][14] Of all the island local authorities, new build housing completions were highest in the Highland Local Authority area in 2024, however it should be noted that only 5% of the population of Highland Local Authority area are islanders. Within the six Scottish local authorities containing islands, 2,445 new homes were built in 2023 and 1,544 in 2024.
|
Local authority: |
2023 |
2024 |
|---|---|---|
|
Argyll and Bute |
445 |
61 |
|
Highland |
1124 |
910 |
|
North Ayrshire |
502 |
129 |
|
Nan Eilean Siar |
182 |
310 |
|
Orkney |
102 |
60 |
|
Shetland |
90 |
74 |
Source: Housing statistics quarterly update: new housebuilding and affordable housing supply (2025)