All-sector new housebuilding

Chart 1: All Sector new housebuilding starts and completions, 2004 to 2024 (year to end September)

Chart 1 shows the annual number of all sector starts and completions from 2004 to 2024 (ending in September). During this period starts decreased from 2006 until they gradually started increasing after 2011, until a peak in 2019. Completions decreased from 2007 and generally started to increase from 2014, until 2020. Starts and completions in 2020 were affected by Covid-19 restrictions. After 2020 completions and starts increased and then started to decrease from 2022.

In total there were 19,828 homes completed and 14,768 new builds started in the year to the end of September 2024. This includes social sector led and private sector led completions and starts.

New build house completions and starts decreased between 2023 and 2024 (year to end September), as Chart 1 indicates. New housebuilding starts and completions decreased by 12% (-1,954 homes) and 10% (-2,324 homes) respectively.

Excluding 2020 where Covid-19 impacted housebuilding, new build completions were the lowest since the year to end of September 2018. Starts were at the lowest point since the year to end of September 2013.

Map A shows that in the year to the end of September 2024, the highest new build rates were in East Lothian and Midlothian which had rates of more than 75 homes completed per 10,000 population.

The lowest rates were observed in Dumfries & Galloway, Scottish Borders, Angus, South Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, North Ayrshire, Falkirk, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, Clackmannanshire, Argyll & Bute and Inverclyde which each had rates of 25 homes or fewer per 10,000 population.

Note that all-sector completion rates calculations contain some estimated figures for East Dunbartonshire, South Ayrshire, Na h-Eileanan Siar, and Stirling. Further details are in the Data and Methodology section.

Map A: New build housing – All Sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, in the year to the end of September 2024.

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