Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0Arbroath: 41% of households are one person living alone, above 99% of UK towns
The typical household size is 2 people, against 2.1 across Scotland’s towns. At the 2022 Census, 23,487 people lived in Arbroath, in 11,430 households. Census figures put households in flats at 33% here. Compared with other places, adults who have never married are common here: 37%, more than in 75% of UK towns.
What the Census says about Arbroath’s people
More with no religion than most
62% of residents answered “no religion” in 2021 and 30% Christian, against 51% and 39% across Scotland’s towns. Ethnicity & religion ↓
Written from the data on this page: Scotland’s Census 2022 (output areas summed to the 2022 locality).
A larger share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 82% of UK towns: 11%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
Half of Arbroath’s residents are under 43.9, younger than in 55% of UK towns. As a yardstick, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Scotland’s towns. Across Arbroath, just over a fifth of residents are 65 or over. In Monifieth, the oldest of Angus’ towns by this measure, it is 29%.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Arbroath, 43.9. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across Scotland, 51% of residents are women.
A higher share of full-time students than 87% of UK towns, at 6.3%
What adults did at the 2022 Census (the NS-SEC classes).
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
26% of Arbroath’s adults are in managerial and professional jobs and 32% in routine and semi-routine work, against 33% and 25% across Scotland’s towns. The benchmark for full-time students across Scotland’s towns: 9.4%.
The Census was taken on 20 March 2022, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Arbroath ranks below 85% of UK towns on shared households of unrelated adults: 1.7%
Household make-up at the 2022 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Angus’ towns and Scotland’s towns
People per household
Scotland’s towns.
Where nearly a quarter of households have dependent children across Scotland’s towns, Arbroath has 23%. By way of comparison, 3.5% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home across Scotland’s towns.
A town of terraces: 25% of households live in one
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2022. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
Detached houses are home to nearly a fifth of households, against 18% across Scotland’s towns. At 29%, the share of households without a car or van is higher than in 93% of UK towns.
Only 96% of residents have English as their main language in Arbroath
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2022.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 15%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Residents born outside the UK: 7.2%, above 58% of UK towns. Typically, 94% of residents have English as their main language across Scotland’s towns. By birthplace, the largest groups from abroad were born in EU countries (5.1%) and in the Middle East and Asia (0.9%).
Arbroath ranks above 99% of UK towns on residents with no religion: 62%
How residents described themselves at the 2022 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White British · all residents
White British, not charted: 92% of Arbroath · Angus’ towns 94% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
Set against 39% across Scotland’s towns, 30% of residents describe themselves as Christian in Arbroath. As a yardstick, just over half of residents said they have no religion across Scotland’s towns. After White British, the most common groups are Other White (5.6%), Mixed or multiple (0.5%) and African (0.2%). At 92%, the share of residents who describe themselves as White British is higher than in 52% of UK towns.
A higher share of unpaid carers than 90% of UK towns, at 11%
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 3 and over), Census 2022.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 3 and over
The number giving 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week is 732. The usual figure: 12% of residents give unpaid care across Scotland’s towns. Few places have so few married adults and civil partners: 41% here, fewer than in 87% of UK towns.
21% of adults hold a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
21% of Arbroath’s adults have a degree-level qualification, against 32% across Scotland’s towns; 21% have none (17%). Many still at university: 10% list A levels as their highest qualification.
Of 284 UK towns its size (16,000 to 32,000 people), the 116th oldest
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
Bangor is the youngest (26.4); Brixham the oldest (55.6). Nearest to Arbroath in age: Shiney Row and Penshaw (43.9), Hale (43.9), Newton Aycliffe (44) and Clitheroe (44).
Every neighbour of Arbroath has an older population
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2022. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbroath | 23,487 | — | 43.9 | 22% | 23% |
| Carnoustie | 11,373 | 6.5 mi | 48.7 | 26% | 24% |
| Monifieth | 9,356 | 10.5 mi | 49.8 | 29% | 26% |
| Montrose | 11,241 | 11.5 mi | 45.8 | 23% | 21% |
| Brechin | 7,180 | 11.8 mi | 45.5 | 24% | 22% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The Census was taken in term time. 20 March 2022 fell in term time, and students were asked to give their term-time address, so most were counted where they study. Some may have been living with family that day.
- “Angus’ towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in Angus (or Scotland), summed the same way as Arbroath’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out.
- Small counts are blurred. National Records of Scotland adjusts small Census counts to protect privacy, so the same total differs a little between tables, and the shares of a small town can move by a point or two.
Questions about Arbroath’s residents
What is the population of Arbroath?
The 2022 Census counted 23,487 people in Arbroath’s locality.
What is the average age in Arbroath?
The median age was 43.9 at the 2022 Census, younger than 55% of UK towns. 11% of residents were 15 to 24 and 22% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Arbroath?
92% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 94% across Angus’ towns. 7.2% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Arbroath?
62% said they had no religion and 30% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 0.5% were Muslim and 5.8% didn’t answer.
Is Arbroath good for families?
23% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Arbroath’s schools page.
Sources: Scotland’s Census 2022 (National Records of Scotland), output areas summed to the NRS 2022 locality (UV101b, UV103, UV104, UV113, UV201, UV204b, UV205, UV212, UV301, UV402, UV405, UV406, UV501, UV607, UV801). Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.