Photo: Richard Sutcliffe · CC BY-SA 2.0Households in flats make up 35% in Burntisland, more than in 98% of UK towns
A quarter of households have no car or van (Scotland’s towns: 29%). For Burntisland, the census puts one-person households at 37%. The median age here is 46.9, higher than in 68% of UK towns. Its 2,958 households held 6,259 residents at the 2022 Census.
What the Census says about Burntisland’s people
More with no religion than most
61% of residents answered “no religion” in 2021 and 32% 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).
Residents aged 15 to 24: 9.4%, a lower share than 64% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
Nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over; across Scotland’s towns the figure is 19%. The largest age band is 55–59: nearly one in ten residents. The wider picture: 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Scotland’s towns.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Burntisland, 46.9. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across Scotland, 51% of residents are women.
Above 82% of UK towns: 5.9% of adults are full-time students
What adults did at the 2022 Census (the NS-SEC classes).
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
Managerial and professional jobs take in just over a third of adults here, routine and semi-routine work 25% (Scotland’s towns: 33% and 25%). To put it in context, 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.
Burntisland households average 2.1 people, smaller than in 93% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2022 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Fife’s towns and Scotland’s towns
People per household
Scotland’s towns.
At 24%, households with dependent children sit close to the figure across Scotland’s towns. 2.3% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home.
Only 24% of households in Burntisland 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
19% of households live in a terraced house across Scotland’s towns, against 17% in Burntisland. To put it in context, 18% of households live in a detached house across Scotland’s towns.
Residents born outside the UK: 6%, a lower share than 53% of UK towns
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
17% of the town’s residents born abroad came in 2017 or later, set against 34% across Scotland’s towns. On average, just over one in ten residents were born outside the UK across Scotland’s towns. By birthplace, the largest groups from abroad were born in EU countries (3.4%) and in the Americas, Oceania and elsewhere (1%).
Burntisland sits above 99% of UK towns for residents with no religion (61%)
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: 93% of Burntisland · Fife’s towns 90% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
Of the other groups, the largest are Other White (4.6%), Mixed or multiple (1.1%) and African (0.3%). By way of comparison, 51% of residents said they have no religion across Scotland’s towns. At 32%, the share of residents who describe themselves as Christian is lower than in 99% of UK towns. Meanwhile, the figure for residents who describe themselves as White British is 93% in Burntisland and 86% across Scotland’s towns.
12% of residents give unpaid care, more than in 98% of UK towns
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
163 residents care, unpaid, for at least 50 hours a week. The share of married adults and civil partners is 48%, against 42% across Scotland’s towns.
Degree level: the highest qualification of 31% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across Scotland’s towns, 32% of adults have a degree-level qualification; in Burntisland, 31%, and 14% have none, against 17%.
Ranked by age, 257th oldest of 625 UK towns this size
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
Bailrigg is the youngest (18.9); Barton on Sea the oldest (65.3). Nearest to Burntisland in age: Brotton (46.9), Rhoose (46.9), Seaton (47) and Sprotbrough (47).
Older than Burntisland: 2 of the 7 towns nearby
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2022. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burntisland | 6,259 | — | 46.9 | 23% | 24% |
| Kinghorn | 2,944 | 2.3 mi | 51.7 | 28% | 21% |
| Kirkcaldy and Dysart | 51,135 | 4.9 mi | 43.9 | 21% | 24% |
| Dalgety Bay and Hillend | 9,452 | 5.1 mi | 50.4 | 27% | 24% |
| Lochgelly | 7,157 | 5.3 mi | 44.4 | 20% | 22% |
| Crossgates | 2,993 | 5.5 mi | 45 | 20% | 27% |
| Cowdenbeath and Lumphinnans | 11,979 | 5.6 mi | 43.3 | 20% | 25% |
| Cardenden and Auchterderran | 5,266 | 5.6 mi | 44.9 | 22% | 27% |
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.
- “Fife’s towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in Fife (or Scotland), summed the same way as Burntisland’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 Burntisland’s residents
What is the population of Burntisland?
The 2022 Census counted 6,259 people in Burntisland’s locality.
What is the average age in Burntisland?
The median age was 46.9 at the 2022 Census, older than 68% of UK towns. 9.4% of residents were 15 to 24 and 23% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Burntisland?
93% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 90% across Fife’s towns. 6% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Burntisland?
61% said they had no religion and 32% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 0.3% were Muslim and 5.2% didn’t answer.
Is Burntisland good for families?
24% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Burntisland’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.