Private Sector New Housebuilding

The private sector is the biggest contributor to overall house building, accounting for nearly three quarters (74%) of all homes completed in 2023-24.

In 2023-24, there were 14,589 private sector led house building completions and 12,904 starts, as Chart 2 indicates.

Chart 2: Private sector led new build completions have decreased by 13% (-2,270 homes), whilst starts have decreased by 16% (- 2,420 homes) in 2023-24 compared with 2022-23.

Chart 2 shows the annual number of private sector led house building starts and completions from 2007-08 to 2023-24. New build completions were the second lowest since 2017-18 (with the lowest point in 2020-21, where Covid-19 restrictions affected housebuilding). Starts were at the lowest point since 2014-15 and lower than when the pandemic affected housebuilding.

Map B illustrates that Midlothian, East Lothian and West Lothian are local authorities with the highest private sector led completion rates in 2023-24 (rate of over 54 homes built per 10,000 population).

The lowest rates are in Angus, Stirling, South Ayrshire, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Clackmannanshire, Inverclyde and Scottish Borders with rates of 18 or fewer homes built per 10,000 population.

Note: Private sector completion rates calculations contain some estimated figures for Aberdeen City, East Dunbartonshire, Na h-Eileanan Siar, South Ayrshire, and Stirling. More details are available in the Data and Methodology section.

Map B: New build housing – private sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, 2023-24.

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.