Photo: Bill Harrison · CC BY-SA 2.0Above 99% of UK towns: 42% of households are one person living alone
The share of households in flats tops 97% of UK towns: 34%. Brechin’s 3,581 households held 7,180 residents at the 2022 Census. 25% of households have no car or van. Compared with other places, households with dependent children are scarce here: 22%, fewer than in 88% of UK towns.
In Brechin, 24% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 65% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
55–59 is the most common age band: 7.6% of residents. Compared with other places, residents aged 15 to 24 are common here: 10%, more than in 67% of UK towns. Set beside that, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Scotland’s towns. In Monifieth, the oldest of Angus’ towns by this measure, it is 29%.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Brechin, 45.5. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across Scotland, 51% of residents are women.
Full-time students make up 5.2% in Brechin, more than in 65% of UK towns
What adults did at the 2022 Census (the NS-SEC classes).
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
27% of Brechin’s adults are in managerial and professional jobs and 32% in routine and semi-routine work, against 33% and 25% across Scotland’s towns. Against that, nearly one in ten adults are full-time students across Scotland’s towns.
The Census was taken on 20 March 2022, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Brechin households average 2 people, smaller than in 99% of UK towns
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.
1% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home; across Scotland’s towns the figure is 3.5%.
Only 22% of households in Brechin live in a detached house
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
Set against 19% across Scotland’s towns, 17% of households live in a terraced house in Brechin. Across the comparison, 18% of households live in a detached house across Scotland’s towns.
Below 75% of UK towns: 96% of residents have English as their main language
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
11% of residents were born outside the UK across Scotland’s towns, against 7.8% in Brechin. The wider picture: 94% of residents have English as their main language across Scotland’s towns. Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (5.7%) or in the Middle East and Asia (1%).
Residents with no religion make up 59% in Brechin, more than in 99% of UK towns
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: 91% of Brechin · Angus’ towns 94% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
Set against 86% across Scotland’s towns, 91% of residents describe themselves as White British in Brechin. Census figures put residents who describe themselves as Christian at 36% locally. On average, just over half of residents said they have no religion across Scotland’s towns.
Brechin sits above 61% of UK towns for adults who have never married (34%)
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
At 42%, the share of married adults and civil partners is in line with the figure across Scotland’s towns. 11% of residents give unpaid care, more than in 80% of UK towns. For adults who have never married, the comparison across Scotland’s towns is 40%.
Adults qualified to degree level or above: 22%
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
22% of Brechin’s adults have a degree-level qualification, against 32% across Scotland’s towns; 19% have none (17%).
253rd oldest of 539 UK towns of 5,000 to 10,000 people
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
Ages run from 30.9 in Red Lodge to 65.3 in Barton on Sea. Nearest to Brechin in age: Gerrards Cross (45.5), Pencoed (45.5), Crawcrook and Greenside (45.6) and Egremont (45.6).
Of the 4 towns nearest Brechin, 2 are older
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2022. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brechin | 7,180 | — | 45.5 | 24% | 22% |
| Montrose | 11,241 | 7.2 mi | 45.8 | 23% | 21% |
| Laurencekirk | 3,276 | 9.9 mi | 43.7 | 22% | 32% |
| Forfar | 13,774 | 10.7 mi | 48 | 26% | 22% |
| Arbroath | 23,487 | 11.8 mi | 43.9 | 22% | 23% |
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 Brechin’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 Brechin’s residents
What is the population of Brechin?
The 2022 Census counted 7,180 people in Brechin’s locality.
What is the average age in Brechin?
The median age was 45.5 at the 2022 Census, older than 58% of UK towns. 10% of residents were 15 to 24 and 24% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Brechin?
91% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 94% across Angus’ towns. 7.8% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Brechin?
59% said they had no religion and 36% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 0.7% were Muslim and 4.5% didn’t answer.
Is Brechin good for families?
22% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Brechin’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.