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Edinburgh Statistics: Key Facts and City Data

Edinburgh in numbers

A clear, sourced snapshot of the city

Edinburgh statistics provide a clear picture of the city’s population, tourism, housing, transport, economy, education, green space, and climate.

The figures below use the latest available official data and are labelled by year because each source updates on a different schedule.

Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
531,370City of Edinburgh populationMid-2025 estimate
5.05mOvernight visits to Edinburgh2024
£2.565bnOvernight visitor spending2024, city only
16.98mEdinburgh Airport passengers2025
£296,000Average Edinburgh house priceMay 2026, provisional
119mLothian bus journeys2025
49,640University of Edinburgh studentsMatriculated in 2024/25
49%Share of the city classed as green spaceCouncil figure

Population and households

Edinburgh is Scotland’s second-largest council area by population. Its population rose by about 18.3% between 2001 and 2025.

City of Edinburgh population, 2001 to 2025

Mid-year estimates. The small fall between 2024 and 2025 reflects the latest revised NRS series.

440k 490k 540k 20012005201020152020202320242025
247,435 households
Up 1.1% between 2024 and 2025.
269,306 dwellings
Up 1.1% year on year in 2025.
+6,970 net migration
More people arrived than left in 2023/24.
4,463 births
Edinburgh’s total fertility rate was 0.99 in 2024.

Population, household, migration, and birth figures use the City of Edinburgh council area. They should not be mixed with figures for the wider urban area or the Lothians.

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Tourism, hotels, and major events

The city received more than five million overnight visits in 2024. International and domestic visitors spent more than £2.5 billion.

17.79movernight visitor nights in 2024
£508average spend per overnight visit
84.1%hotel and serviced-apartment occupancy in 2024
2.604mFringe tickets issued in 2025
3,893Fringe shows in 2025
40,000tourism jobs in 2024
  • VisitScotland’s city-only figures are used here. Separate totals for “Edinburgh and the Lothians” are higher and are not interchangeable.
  • The Fringe ticket figure does not count every free show, Street Event visitor, or unticketed attendance.
  • Hotel occupancy comes from a City of Edinburgh Council accommodation study using CoStar data for participating hotels, aparthotels, and serviced apartments.
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Work, skills, and education

Edinburgh has a highly skilled workforce and a large university population. The figures below use the latest data collated in Edinburgh by Numbers 2025 and university records.

83.2%employment rate in the Council’s latest city comparison
£20.49median hourly pay
73.2%workforce qualified to degree level or above
£8.8bnfinance and insurance GVA
72,365university enrolments across Edinburgh
39,940University of Edinburgh peak on-campus count in 2024/25
Education measureFigureDefinition
University of Edinburgh total49,640All students matriculated at some point during 2024/25.
University of Edinburgh peak on campus39,940Peak count physically studying on campus in November 2024.
City-wide university enrolment72,365Comparable institution totals collated by the Council.
Degree-level workforce73.2%Share holding degree-level qualifications or above.
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House prices and private rents

Edinburgh had Scotland’s highest average house price in May 2026. Rent figures cover the wider Lothian rental market rather than Edinburgh alone.

Average Edinburgh house price by property type

May 2026, provisional.

Flat
£240k
Terraced
£374k
Semi-detached
£448k
Detached
£697k
£296,000 average price
Up 2.4% year on year in May 2026.
£248,000 first-time buyer price
Provisional average for May 2026.
£1,420 average monthly rent
June 2026, Lothian broad rental market area.
£1,036 to £2,769
Average rent range from one bedroom to four or more bedrooms.

Scottish rent statistics mainly reflect advertised new lets. The latest local house-price figures are provisional and can be revised.

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Public transport and active travel

Bus and tram use grew in 2025, while Edinburgh Airport recorded the busiest year in the history of any Scottish airport.

119mLothian bus journeys in 2025
12.5mEdinburgh Tram journeys in 2025
22.76mWaverley entries and exits in 2024/25
16.98mairport passengers in 2025

How often residents walk, wheel, or cycle

Walking and Cycling Index 2025, representative resident survey.

Walk or wheel at least five days a week
69%
Cycle at least once a week
18%
Think their local area is safe for cycling
50%
Think their area is good for cycling
55%

These transport measures are not directly comparable: bus and tram figures are customer journeys, rail is station entries and exits, and airport data count passengers.

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Green space, emissions, and weather

Almost half of Edinburgh’s area is described as green space. The climate chart uses the Met Office’s 1991 to 2020 averages for Edinburgh Gogarbank.

144parks and green spaces
49%share of Edinburgh’s total area
41.4%fall in greenhouse gas emissions, 2013 to 2023
784mmaverage annual rainfall, 1991 to 2020
1,363average annual sunshine hours
137days a year with at least 1mm of rain

Average monthly rainfall in Edinburgh

Millimetres at Edinburgh Gogarbank, 1991 to 2020. October is the wettest average month in this series.

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Sources and data notes

The figures come from official datasets or reports. Publication year and data year are not always the same, so both are shown on the page.

How we check the data: figures are taken from the named source and labelled by year and geography. Provisional, survey-based, or wider-area figures are identified beside the number. The page should be reviewed whenever NRS, ONS, VisitScotland, transport operators, or the Council publish a new annual release.
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