Trends in Rural Scotland: a working paper (2025)

Executive Summary

Successes

• Agricultural, Forestry and Fishing Gross Value Added (GVA) continues to increase in rural areas.
• Rural Scotland experienced a recent positive annual percentage change in population.
• Youth employment rates are highest in rural areas.
• Rural Scotland, excluding islands and remote areas, continues to have the highest incidence of renewable electricity generation.
• Satisfaction with local health services is relatively high across rural and remote rural areas, with greater access to GP services and higher assessed quality of care experience.
• Life expectancy is higher in rural Scotland than in urban areas for both male and females. Mental wellbeing also remains higher in rural areas despite general downward trends in Scotland.
• The experiences of those receiving care are better in remote rural areas than elsewhere in Scotland.
• Relative poverty and relative child poverty rates remain lower than those in urban areas.

Challenges

• Rural properties are, on average, less energy efficient than urban ones, and rates of fuel poverty are estimated to be particularly high on islands and remote rural areas.
• There is a higher reliance on cars in rural areas, and lower use of public transport, with longer journey times to key services (shopping centres, post offices, and general practices (GPs)).
• Satisfaction with public transport is lower in rural areas.
• Remote rural areas, including islands, have a significantly higher percentage of empty dwellings and second homes than other areas of Scotland.
• House prices have risen across rural Scotland since 2019, particularly in accessible rural areas. This trend is seen across Scotland.
• Almost all homes in Scotland can get some broadband access, however the speed and quality is lower in some rural areas.