Private sector led new housebuilding

In 2023, there were 15,236 private sector led housebuilding completions and 12,752 starts. The private sector is the biggest contributor to overall house building, accounting for over two-thirds (73%) of all homes completed in 2023.

Chart 2 shows the annual number of private sector led starts and completions from 2008 to 2023 (years to end December). The latest data shows a decrease in both starts and completions.

Chart 2: Annual private sector led new build completions have decreased by 9% (1,449 homes), whilst starts have decreased by 20% (3,258 homes) in 2023 compared with 2022.

Map B below shows that the local authority areas with the highest private sector led completion rates in the year to end December 2023 are East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Midlothian, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Perth & Kinross, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian with all having a rate of over 34 homes per 10,000 population.

The lowest rates meanwhile are in Argyll & Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Scottish Borders and West Dunbartonshire, with all seeing rates of 14 or fewer homes per 10,000 population.

Note: Private sector completion rates calculations contain some estimated figures for Aberdeen City, Dundee 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, year to end December 2023.

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.