South Ayrshire, in numbers

People and living standards

South Ayrshire council area. Every figure carries its own date.

How the population is changing, who lives here and what living standards look like.

South Ayrshire council area. These are council-area figures. They are not a separate history for every ward or the city centre.

More people? A different age mix?

The population fell from 113,120 in 1991 to 112,280 in 2025.

A growing number of children, working-age adults or older residents can mean different needs for homes, schools, jobs and care.

Population

1996 to 2025

South Ayrshire council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 113,540 people in 1996; 112,280 people in 2025. 1.1% lower between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published annual mid-year population estimates, both sexes. Exact requested ONS area code; source geography vintage retained. Latest revised source series is used throughout; no years are interpolated and no ward values are inferred.

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

Population — South Ayrshire council area: full reviewed history
Period	people
1991	113,120
1992	113,100
1993	113,280
1994	113,550
1995	113,620
1996	113,540
1997	113,620
1998	113,320
1999	112,850
2000	112,290
2001	112,160
2002	111,690
2003	111,550
2004	111,840
2005	112,030
2006	112,100
2007	112,380
2008	112,610
2009	112,490
2010	112,600
2011	112,980
2012	112,900
2013	112,710
2014	112,440
2015	112,260
2016	112,200
2017	112,400
2018	111,990
2019	112,010
2020	111,470
2021	111,560
2022	111,560
2023	112,050
2024	112,270
2025	112,280

Source →

People aged 0 to 15

1996 to 2025

South Ayrshire council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 21,377 people in 1996; 16,554 people in 2025. 22.6% lower between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

People aged 0 to 15 — South Ayrshire council area: full reviewed history
Period	people
1991	21,876
1992	21,723
1993	21,710
1994	21,748
1995	21,521
1996	21,377
1997	21,225
1998	21,056
1999	20,981
2000	20,624
2001	20,255
2002	19,869
2003	19,558
2004	19,271
2005	19,190
2006	18,944
2007	18,919
2008	18,908
2009	18,705
2010	18,490
2011	18,434
2012	18,208
2013	17,929
2014	17,701
2015	17,638
2016	17,572
2017	17,520
2018	17,472
2019	17,502
2020	17,354
2021	17,146
2022	16,906
2023	16,839
2024	16,735
2025	16,554

Source →

People aged 16 to 64

1996 to 2025

South Ayrshire council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 71,479 people in 1996; 64,290 people in 2025. 10.1% lower between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

People aged 16 to 64 — South Ayrshire council area: full reviewed history
Period	people
1991	71,093
1992	71,074
1993	71,155
1994	71,393
1995	71,558
1996	71,479
1997	71,569
1998	71,252
1999	70,820
2000	70,441
2001	70,381
2002	70,080
2003	70,088
2004	70,488
2005	70,474
2006	70,614
2007	70,624
2008	70,447
2009	70,142
2010	70,117
2011	70,118
2012	69,445
2013	68,952
2014	68,343
2015	67,844
2016	67,419
2017	67,167
2018	66,422
2019	65,846
2020	65,240
2021	65,107
2022	64,933
2023	64,912
2024	64,722
2025	64,290

Source →

People aged 65 or over

1996 to 2025

South Ayrshire council area · people

Reviewed figures: 1991 to 2025. The chart opens on the latest 30 years; choose All history for the full reviewed record.

Shown on this chart: 20,684 people in 1996; 31,436 people in 2025. 52% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Mid-year estimates, not census counts. Historical revisions and boundaries follow this one published series.

This is the whole stated area, not a ward or necessarily the named city settlement.

People aged 65 or over — South Ayrshire council area: full reviewed history
Period	people
1991	20,151
1992	20,303
1993	20,415
1994	20,409
1995	20,541
1996	20,684
1997	20,826
1998	21,012
1999	21,049
2000	21,225
2001	21,524
2002	21,741
2003	21,904
2004	22,081
2005	22,366
2006	22,542
2007	22,837
2008	23,255
2009	23,643
2010	23,993
2011	24,428
2012	25,247
2013	25,829
2014	26,396
2015	26,778
2016	27,209
2017	27,713
2018	28,096
2019	28,662
2020	28,876
2021	29,307
2022	29,721
2023	30,299
2024	30,813
2025	31,436

Source →

Population growth alone does not show whether services are under pressure. Capacity, location and residents’ needs also matter.

How residents described their ethnic group

These are census snapshots, not annual estimates. Open a year to see both the number of people and their share of the population.

2022 census · 111,532 residents

How this census compares with other years

Scotland’s census was held in 2022. These are native Scottish broad categories, with African separate from Caribbean or Black. The national term minority ethnic also includes some White groups, so it must not be read as non-White. Privacy-adjusted cells can differ from published totals. Categories containing an undefined source dash are unavailable pending a verified aggregate release or symbol definition.

Ethnic group · South Ayrshire · 2022
Residents’ census answer	People	Share
White: Total	109,046	97.8%
Mixed or multiple ethnic group	Not available	Not available
Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Total	Not available	Not available
African: Total	Not available	Not available
Caribbean or Black: Total	Not available	Not available
Other ethnic groups: Total	Not available	Not available

Census wording and the available categories can change. The tables retain the categories published for each year; they are not automatically like-for-like trends.

Source and method →

2011 census · 112,799 residents

How this census compares with other years

The 2011 UK table retains its own category structure, including a separate Traveller category. It is not automatically comparable with later national census categories or modern district boundaries.

Ethnic group · South Ayrshire · 2011
Residents’ census answer	People	Share
White	111,282	98.7%
Gypsy / Traveller / Irish Traveller	98	0.1%
Mixed / Multiple ethnic group	282	0.3%
Asian / Asian British: Indian	278	0.2%
Asian / Asian British: Pakistani	159	0.1%
Asian / Asian British: Bangladeshi	13	0%
Asian / Asian British: Chinese	276	0.2%
Asian / Asian British: Other Asian	169	0.1%
Black / African / Caribbean / Black British	139	0.1%
Other Ethnic Group	103	0.1%

Census wording and the available categories can change. The tables retain the categories published for each year; they are not automatically like-for-like trends.

Source and method →

A complete, comparable 30-year ethnicity history is not available for every current area. Missing years have not been estimated.

How comfortable is life here?

Pay, housing costs, health and opportunities tell different parts of the story. An area average can hide large differences between households.

In 2024, average disposable income per person was 4.8% below the UK average.

Money available to spend or save per person

1997 to 2024

South Ayrshire council area · Cash prices, before allowing for inflation

Reviewed figures: 1997 to 2024. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: £9,377 per person in 1997; £24,714 per person in 2024. 163.6% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Published ONS table values from one 1997–2024 release, matched by exact source geography code. Table3 per-person values are retained, not recalculated from rounded totals. Source country/region references are the official published totals, not averages of selected councils.

Amounts are in cash prices for each year and include inflation. A rise does not by itself show an increase in purchasing power.

This is an average per resident, including children and retired people, not the income of a typical household, wages or wealth.

These are official statistics in development, combining administrative and survey inputs. The Annual Population Survey contributes to some components; it is not the sole source.

The 2024 estimates are provisional. Earlier years have been revised within this single release; no release editions are spliced.

The UK index compares each year with the UK average in that same year. It is not an inflation-adjusted income index.

Geography as published in the ONS 19 August 2026 release; exact source code retained. The workbook does not specify a separate local-boundary effective date.

Money available to spend or save per person — South Ayrshire council area: full reviewed history
Period	£ per person, current prices
1997	9,377
1998	9,524
1999	10,008
2000	10,442
2001	11,105
2002	11,449
2003	12,126
2004	12,831
2005	13,242
2006	13,938
2007	14,340
2008	14,953
2009	15,234
2010	15,668
2011	15,973
2012	16,530
2013	17,071
2014	17,413
2015	17,628
2016	17,859
2017	17,753
2018	18,130
2019	18,733
2020	18,849
2021	19,966
2022	20,952
2023	22,798
2024	24,714

Source →

Has the gap with the UK average changed?

Above zero means income is above the UK average; below zero means it is below. Each year is compared with the UK average for that same year.

Income above or below the UK average

1997 to 2024

South Ayrshire council area · %

Reviewed figures: 1997 to 2024. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: -11.6% in 1997; -4.8% in 2024. 6.8 percentage points higher.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Data table and workings

Amounts are in cash prices for each year and include inflation. A rise does not by itself show an increase in purchasing power.

This is an average per resident, including children and retired people, not the income of a typical household, wages or wealth.

These are official statistics in development, combining administrative and survey inputs. The Annual Population Survey contributes to some components; it is not the sole source.

The 2024 estimates are provisional. Earlier years have been revised within this single release; no release editions are spliced.

The UK index compares each year with the UK average in that same year. It is not an inflation-adjusted income index.

Geography as published in the ONS 19 August 2026 release; exact source code retained. The workbook does not specify a separate local-boundary effective date.

Income above or below the UK average — South Ayrshire council area: full reviewed history
Period	%
1997	-11.6
1998	-12
1999	-11.5
2000	-12.3
2001	-10.2
2002	-9.5
2003	-7
2004	-5.5
2005	-5.8
2006	-4.8
2007	-6.5
2008	-5.1
2009	-4.9
2010	-3
2011	-2
2012	-2.1
2013	-2.5
2014	-3.7
2015	-7.3
2016	-7.3
2017	-9.9
2018	-11.2
2019	-11.1
2020	-10.2
2021	-8.6
2022	-8.8
2023	-6.8
2024	-4.8

Source →

Mixed-source official estimates: administrative records and surveys. Income here is the average money per resident available to spend or save after tax and benefits. It is not typical pay or household wealth. Cash figures do not show how much prices changed.

Adults with no qualifications

Not available

20 March 2022 · South Ayrshire council area

Show the workings

All usual residents aged 16 and over

UK Facts calculation: output-area counts summed using the official NRS 2022 geography index only when every required cell is numeric. The source dash has no verified definition in the archive or its disclosure notes, so affected sums are withheld; it is not treated as zero. Dash-cell counts are retained in diagnostics. Cells are privacy-adjusted and may not add to independently published totals. Each percentage uses its own table denominator. Scottish degree-or-higher excludes HNC/HND and is kept distinct from the wider Level 4+ measure used elsewhere.

A required output-area cell contains an undefined dash; the affected aggregate is withheld, not treated as zero.

Source →

People reporting bad or very bad health

Not available

20 March 2022 · South Ayrshire council area

Show the workings

All usual residents

A required output-area cell contains an undefined dash; the affected aggregate is withheld, not treated as zero.

Source →

Average home price

£172,000

July 2026 · South Ayrshire council area

Show the workings

Homes in the local authority area

Published UK House Price Index average price, all property types and all buyers, not seasonally adjusted. Entire series comes from the 2026-07 official full-file release, preserving its historical revisions and exact area codes. It is a mix-adjusted average, not the median price paid.

Source →

Deprivation describes several kinds of disadvantage. It is not a measure of household wealth. A change in an area's ranking does not by itself show whether living conditions improved.

See differences between neighbourhoods →

What could the changes mean locally?

Use the age profile alongside school places and care capacity, and look at housing costs alongside pay. Then check whether local plans respond to the needs shown by the evidence.

Read the local action plan →

Which histories are missing or need care?

Some Scottish ethnicity categories are withheld because their source output areas contain undefined dash markers: Mixed or multiple ethnic group; Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Total; African: Total; Caribbean or Black: Total; Other ethnic groups: Total. The markers have not been interpreted as zero.

A verified 2001 Scottish ethnicity snapshot on this exact area code is not included in this release.

These histories describe the stated whole area. A consistent historical series for its current wards has not been established.

1991 ethnicity has not been reconstructed to this current area. No annual ethnicity values are inferred between census dates.

These local income figures include inflation. No local inflation-adjusted income series has been substituted or inferred from regional prices.

This series describes the stated council or reference area. A comparable 30-year income history for its current wards has not been established.

The reviewed release starts in 1997. Earlier income values have not been invented or joined from another definition.