ORKNEY has had the biggest relative rise in the number of households in Scotland, new statistics reveal.
The islands, often described as idyllic by communities there, had an increase in the number of households of 1,204 - 13.3 per cent - in a year according to the National Records of Scotland.
Orkney Islands Council said the increase is mostly connected to a rise in numbers of residents, with 2,108 new residents arriving over the last two years taking the total to population 21,670.
The council said the increase also reflects the trend seen in Orkney and elsewhere in Scotland of people - such as older people - living in smaller households.
The biggest demand for local authority and housing association properties in Orkney is currently for one-bedroom homes.
Harvey Johnston, Orkney Islands Council convener, said: “Our islands regularly top quality of life surveys looking at the best places to live in Scotland.
“A number of factors contribute to this and help explain why our population – and the number of households – is rising.
“We have a wonderful environment, high levels of employment and a low crime rate.
"The people who live in our islands combine a strong and traditional sense of community with a forward-thinking, can-do attitude that makes this a very special place to live and work.”
It comes after a survey in April that showed people living in Orkney enjoy the best quality of life of any rural area in the UK.
As well as stunning scenery, researchers found that the islanders benefit from low crime rates, quiet roads - and a good choice of pubs.
The islands then topped the Bank of Scotland's rural quality of life survey, having jumped from 46th last year.
The number of households in Scotland has continued to increase to 2.45 million in 2016, according to figures published by National Records of Scotland.
Over the last ten years the number of households in Scotland has grown by around 157,000 - seven per cent.
The number of households has increased in every council area over the last ten years, with the greatest relative increases occurring in Orkney Islands and Highland.
Edinburgh had a rise of 8.5 per cent and Glasgow 4.7 per cent over the last year.
NRS said the overall growth in households is partly due to the rising population, but also because people are increasingly living alone, or with fewer other people.
Households consisting of only one person are now the most common type in Scotland.
Over a third of households are single person households, and nearly 900,000 people are living alone.
Tim Ellis, the chief executive of National Records of Scotland, said: "The average household in Scotland has been getting smaller for several decades.
"This is partly due to changes in the way we live, and partly because the number of older people in the population has been rising.
"Older people are more likely to live alone, so as the number of older people has increased, the average size of households has decreased.
"However, the fall in household sizes appears to have slowed since the economic downturn in 2007.
"This may be due to factors such as decreased house building and more young adults living with their parents instead of forming their own households.”
The statistics showed there are 79,100 empty dwellings empty, with remote rural areas having a higher percentage of empty and second homes than urban areas.
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