Description: Output Areas (OAs) are the key geography for dissemination of small area statistics from the Census. OAs are large enough for Census statistics to be released without infringing confidentiality. They are designed to have relatively small numbers of households (in the range of 25 to 89) and population (>=60), while nesting within Council areas. They also act as the basic “building-blocks” for the creation of other geographies such as Data Zones. There are 46,363 Census 2022 OAs in Scotland.
Description: Data Zones are the key geography for the dissemination of small area statistics in Scotland and are widely used across the public sector. Composed of groups of Census Output Areas, Data Zones are large enough that statistics can be presented accurately without fear of disclosure and yet small enough that they can be used to represent communities. They are designed to have roughly standard populations of 500 to 1,000 household residents, nest within local authorities (at the time of the Census), and have compact shapes that respect physical boundaries where possible. When Data Zones were originally created for the 2001 Census, they were designed to contain households with similar social characteristics. Aggregations of Data Zones can be used to provide estimates for higher level geographies where official statistics might not otherwise be available. Data Zones also represent a relatively stable geography that can be used to analyse change over time, with changes only occurring after a Census. Following the update to Data Zones using 2022 Census data, there are now 7,392 Data Zones covering the whole of Scotland.
Description: Intermediate Zones are a statistical geography that sit between Data Zones and local authorities, originally created for use with the Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics (SNS) programme (now known as statistics.gov.scot) and the wider public sector. Intermediate Zones are used for the dissemination of statistics that are not suitable for release at the Data Zone level because of the sensitive nature of the statistic, or for reasons of reliability. Intermediate Zones were designed to meet constraints on population thresholds (2,500 - 6,000 household residents), to nest within local authorities (at the time of the Census), and to be built up from aggregations of Data Zones. Intermediate Zones also represent a relatively stable geography that can be used to analyse change over time, with changes only occurring after a Census. Following the update to Intermediate Zones using 2022 Census data, there are now 1,334 Intermediate Zones covering the whole of Scotland.
Description: Larger settlements are divided into localities to reflect areas which are more easily identifiable as the towns and cities of Scotland. Statistics produced from this geography can be used to help understand the demographics of local communities. National Records of Scotland (NRS), produces 2 datasets which are designed to show the boundaries of urban areas in Scotland: these datasets are Settlements and Localities. Further details on settlements and localities, including the methodology, can be found in the Special Area Population Estimates: Settlements and Localities section of the NRS website.
Description: The National Records of Scotland (NRS), produces 2 datasets biennially which are designed to show the boundaries of urban areas in Scotland: these datasets are Settlements and Localities. While settlements can go a long way in defining the towns and cities in Scotland, some are very extensive and group together some very large populations.A settlement is defined to be a group of high density postcodes whose combined population rounds to 500 people or more. They are separated by low density postcodes.