Trends in Rural Scotland: a working paper (2025)

Highlights

Why was the research needed?

This compilation of key trends in Rural Scotland can be used for a variety of purposes. One of these purposes is to establish baseline trend evidence to measure progress against the vision outlined in the Scottish Government's forthcoming Rural Delivery Plan. It also extends and up-dates information in the Rural Scotland Data Dashboard and the Rural Scotland Data Dashboard: Overview (2023).

What did we do?

We have compiled time series data for a variety of topic areas in order to highlight increasing or decreasing trends. The data is primarily gathered from published sources. Some bespoke data has been created where it was not already available for Rural Scotland. Geographic breakdown of the data allows a comparison between Rural Scotland and the rest (or all) of Scotland. Where possible, a separation has been made for mainland Rural Scotland and Island data.

What did we learn?

Rural Scotland is varied. Positive aspects of Rural Scotland compared to Urban Scotland include lower relative poverty and child poverty rates and a higher satisfaction with health and social care.

Challenges exist in Rural Scotland around transport, fuel poverty and housing. There is greater dissatisfaction with public transport, greater fuel poverty, as well as a greater proportion of second and vacant homes in remote rural areas.

However, exploration of trends, such as those for health and social care, show that many variables, despite being more favourable in Rural Scotland, are worsening over time. In areas such as economy and digital, where Rural Scotland is behind the Scottish average, variables appear to be improving over time.

Generally, Rural Scotland follows the general trends (whether something is improving, maintaining, or worsening) averaged across all areas of Scotland, though rates of change differ by area and variable.

What happens next?

The Scottish Government will publish a Rural Delivery Plan by 2026. Key Performance Indicators will be chosen to monitor the Rural Delivery Plan outcomes.