Photo: AllyD · Public domainIn Lochgelly, 62% of residents said they have no religion, more than in 99% of UK towns
Compared with 29% across Scotland’s towns, just over a quarter of households have no car or van here. Lower than in 88% of UK towns: 22% of households have dependent children. The 2022 Census put Lochgelly’s population at 7,157, in 3,413 households. Here, 28% of households live in a flat or apartment.
What the Census says about Lochgelly’s people
More with no religion than most
62% of residents answered “no religion” in 2021 and 31% 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 smaller share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 56% of UK towns: 9.6%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
No age band is larger than 55–59: 8% of residents. A fifth of residents are 65 or over, fewer than in 62% of UK towns. The wider picture: 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Scotland’s towns. In Newport-on-Tay and Wormit, the oldest of Fife’s towns by this measure, it is 28%.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Lochgelly, 44.4. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across Scotland, 51% of residents are women.
A smaller share of full-time students than 77% of UK towns: 4.2%
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 23% of adults here, routine and semi-routine work 35% (Scotland’s towns: 33% and 25%). As a yardstick, 9.4% of adults are full-time students across Scotland’s towns.
Smaller households than 94% of UK towns: 2.1 people on average
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.
Against a figure of 3.5% across Scotland’s towns, the share of shared households of unrelated adults in Lochgelly comes in at 1.8%. 37% of households are one person living alone, a higher share than in 94% of UK towns.
A lower share of households in terraced houses than 68% of UK towns, at 16%
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
By its share of households in detached houses (17%), Lochgelly is below four fifths of UK towns. Set beside that, nearly a fifth of households live in a terraced house across Scotland’s towns.
4.3% born outside the UK, fewer than in 74% 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
Most residents from abroad were born in EU countries (2.5%) or in the Middle East and Asia (0.9%). Residents born outside the UK: 11% across Scotland’s towns, for comparison. Recent arrivals (2017 or later) make up 21% of those born abroad (Scotland’s towns: 34%).
Fewer residents who describe themselves as Christian than 99% of UK towns: 31%
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: 96% of Lochgelly · Fife’s towns 90% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
Residents who describe themselves as White British: 96% here and 86% across Scotland’s towns. On average, nearly two in five residents describe themselves as Christian across Scotland’s towns. The groups that follow White British are Other White (2.6%), Chinese (0.3%) and Pakistani (0.3%).
Lochgelly ranks above 72% of UK towns on adults who have never married: 36%
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 262. Unpaid carers are more common here than in 99% of UK towns. Elsewhere, 40% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across Scotland’s towns. Against a figure of 42% across Scotland’s towns, the share of married adults and civil partners in Lochgelly comes in at 43%.
Degree-level qualifications reach 17% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
At degree level, Lochgelly counts 17% of its adults, against 32% across Scotland’s towns; at the other end, 24% have no qualification (17%).
Of 539 UK towns its size (5,000 to 10,000 people), the 237th youngest
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
Red Lodge is the youngest (30.9); Barton on Sea the oldest (65.3). Nearest to Lochgelly in age: Treharris (44.4), Bedwas (44.4), Easington (44.5) and Barrow upon Soar (44.5).
Lochgelly is younger than 3 of its 7 nearest neighbours
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2022. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lochgelly | 7,157 | — | 44.4 | 20% | 22% |
| Cowdenbeath and Lumphinnans | 11,979 | 2.1 mi | 43.3 | 20% | 25% |
| Cardenden and Auchterderran | 5,266 | 2.3 mi | 44.9 | 22% | 27% |
| Ballingry | 5,823 | 2.4 mi | 40.8 | 18% | 29% |
| Kelty | 6,898 | 2.9 mi | 43.1 | 20% | 26% |
| Crossgates | 2,993 | 3.8 mi | 45 | 20% | 27% |
| Burntisland | 6,259 | 5.3 mi | 46.9 | 23% | 24% |
| Kirkcaldy and Dysart | 51,135 | 5.5 mi | 43.9 | 21% | 24% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Fife’s towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in Fife (or Scotland), summed the same way as Lochgelly’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 Lochgelly’s residents
What is the population of Lochgelly?
The 2022 Census counted 7,157 people in Lochgelly’s locality.
What is the average age in Lochgelly?
The median age was 44.4 at the 2022 Census, younger than 51% of UK towns. 9.6% of residents were 15 to 24 and 20% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Lochgelly?
96% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 90% across Fife’s towns. 4.3% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Lochgelly?
62% said they had no religion and 31% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 0.3% were Muslim and 5.4% didn’t answer.
Is Lochgelly good for families?
22% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Lochgelly’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.