Photo: Ian Hawfinch · CC BY-SA 2.0Glasgow is younger than 93% of UK towns: a median age of 36.2
The share of adults who have never married tops 99% of UK towns: 53%. Meanwhile, at 73%, the share of residents who describe themselves as White British is lower than in 91% of UK towns. Glasgow counted 617,904 residents and 292,439 households at the 2022 Census. 4.9% of households live in a detached house.
What the Census says about Glasgow’s people
A student city
The 2022 Census counted 78,482 full-time students aged 16 and over, 15% of adults, against 9.4% across Scotland’s towns: more than in 98% of UK towns. That shows in the ages: 15% of residents are 15 to 24. Students & newcomers ↓
More born abroad than most towns
19% of residents were born outside the UK, against 19% across Glasgow City’s towns and 11% across Scotland’s towns. The largest groups were born in the Middle East and Asia (8.2%) and in EU countries (6%). Where people were born ↓
Younger than most towns
Half of Glasgow’s residents are under 36.2 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 15% are 15 to 24 and 14% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
A city of flats
69% of households live in a flat or maisonette, more than in 99% of UK towns. 44% have no car or van. Homes & cars ↓
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 97% of UK towns: 15%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
No age band is larger than 25–29: nearly one in ten residents, 1.4 times the share across Scotland’s towns. On the census count, 14% of residents are 65 or over. Across the comparison, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Scotland’s towns.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Glasgow, 36.2. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across Scotland, 51% of residents are women.
Above 98% of UK towns: 15% 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
Leave the students aside and Glasgow’s other adults look much like Scotland’s: 34% are in managerial and professional jobs, against 36%. For comparison, 9.4% of 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.
44% of households are one person living alone, more than in 99% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2022 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Glasgow City’s towns and Scotland’s towns
People per household
Scotland’s towns.
By its share of households with dependent children (21%), Glasgow is below 91% of UK towns. Typically, 38% of households are one person living alone across Scotland’s towns. Each household has 2 people on average. The city has more shared households of unrelated adults than 97% of UK towns, at 6.4%.
Households in flats make up 69% in Glasgow, more than in 99% of UK towns
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
In Glasgow, just over one in ten households live in a terraced house, beside 19% across Scotland’s towns. The share of households without a car or van stands at 44%. Across the comparison, 39% of households live in a flat or apartment across Scotland’s towns.
More residents born outside the UK than 92% of UK towns: 19%
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 25%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
94% of residents have English as their main language across Scotland’s towns, against 88% in Glasgow. Elsewhere, just over one in ten residents were born outside the UK across Scotland’s towns.
No religion: 43% of residents, a higher share than 65% 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: 73% of Glasgow · Glasgow City’s towns 73% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
Residents who describe themselves as Christian: 39%, near enough the figure across Scotland’s towns. The usual figure: just over half of residents said they have no religion across Scotland’s towns. Next after White British come Other White (8%), Pakistani (5%) and African (3.6%).
31% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, fewer than in 99% 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
By its share of unpaid carers (11%), Glasgow is above 92% of UK towns. Across Scotland’s towns, married adults and civil partners come to 42%. 18,571 people care, unpaid, for 50 hours or more a week.
35% of adults hold a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Glasgow’s adults: 35% with a degree-level qualification and 20% with none, against 32% and 17% across Scotland’s towns. Students still working towards a degree help explain why Highers are the highest qualification of 11%.
Ranked by age, 4th oldest of 12 UK towns this size
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
At the ends of the range sit Manchester (30.4), the youngest, and Barnet (37.8), the oldest. Nearest to Glasgow in age: Liverpool (36.2), Sheffield (36.2), Ealing (36.9) and Croydon (37.6).
No nearby town is as young as Glasgow
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2022. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | 617,904 | — | 36.2 | 14% | 21% |
| Rutherglen | 31,185 | 3.5 mi | 46.1 | 23% | 21% |
| Bishopbriggs | 23,759 | 3.9 mi | 45.8 | 23% | 27% |
| Netherlee | 4,493 | 3.9 mi | 48.2 | 27% | 32% |
| Giffnock | 11,963 | 4 mi | 50 | 29% | 28% |
| Thornliebank | 4,084 | 4.2 mi | 41.8 | 18% | 31% |
| Stamperland | 3,497 | 4.5 mi | 44.8 | 20% | 33% |
| Renfrew | 23,812 | 5 mi | 42.1 | 20% | 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.
- “Glasgow City’s towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in Glasgow City (or Scotland), summed the same way as Glasgow’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 Glasgow’s residents
What is the population of Glasgow?
The 2022 Census counted 617,904 people in Glasgow’s locality.
What is the average age in Glasgow?
The median age was 36.2 at the 2022 Census, younger than 93% of UK towns. 15% of residents were 15 to 24 and 14% were 65 or over.
Is Glasgow a student city?
Yes: 15% of adults were full-time students at the 2022 Census (78,482 people), against 9.4% across Scotland’s towns.
How diverse is Glasgow?
73% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 73% across Glasgow City’s towns. 19% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Glasgow?
43% said they had no religion and 39% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 7.9% were Muslim and 7.1% didn’t answer.
Is Glasgow good for families?
21% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Glasgow’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.