Photo: Robin Fernandes · CC BY-SA 2.0A larger share of one-person households than 99% of UK towns: 41%
The share of residents with no religion tops 98% of UK towns: 54%. Here, 43% of households live in a flat or apartment. Few places have as many households without a car or van: 31% here, more than in 96% of UK towns. At the 2022 Census, 47,885 people lived in Perth, in 23,125 households.
Half of Perth is under 42.6, younger than 65% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
Residents aged 15 to 24 are about as common here as across Scotland’s towns, at 12%. Here, 20% of residents are 65 or over.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Perth, 42.6. 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.
A higher share of full-time students than 87% of UK towns, at 6.2%
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 31% of adults here, routine and semi-routine work 28% (Scotland’s towns: 33% and 25%). Across Scotland’s towns, 9.4% of adults are full-time students.
The Census was taken on 20 March 2022, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Smaller households than 97% of UK towns: 2 people on average
Household make-up at the 2022 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Perth and Kinross’ towns and Scotland’s towns
People per household
Scotland’s towns.
Where nearly a quarter of households have dependent children across Scotland’s towns, Perth has 22%. Here, 2.4% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home.
Households in detached houses make up 21% in Perth, less than in 72% 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
Across Scotland’s towns, the share of households in terraced houses is 19%; Perth has 15%. On top of that, 43% of households live in a flat, more than in 99% of UK towns; 21% in a detached house, against 18% across Scotland’s towns.
Residents whose main language is English make up 92% in Perth, less than in 88% 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
Just over one in ten residents were born outside the UK, against 11% across Scotland’s towns. Residents whose main language is English: 94% across Scotland’s towns, for comparison. Among residents born abroad, the largest groups were born in EU countries (7.8%) and in the Middle East and Asia (2.6%).
A lower share of residents who describe themselves as Christian than 96% of UK towns, at 37%
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: 85% of Perth · Perth and Kinross’ towns 88% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
Muslims make up 1.1% of residents. 85% of residents describe themselves as White British, a lower share than in 78% of UK towns. Residents who describe themselves as Christian: 39% across Scotland’s towns, for comparison.
Above 92% of UK towns: 11% of residents give unpaid care
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 share of adults who have never married tops 87% of UK towns: 39%. Unpaid carers: 12% across Scotland’s towns, for comparison. In Perth, 41% of adults are married or in a civil partnership.
31% of adults hold a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications cover 31% of adults in Perth, 32% across Scotland’s towns; 16% have no qualification, against 17%. 11% have A levels as their highest qualification, many of them still studying for a degree.
50th oldest of 146 UK towns of 34,000 to 65,000 people
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 Canterbury (27.5), the youngest, and Lytham St Anne's (54.4), the oldest. Nearest to Perth in age: Wokingham (42.5), Long Eaton (42.6), Leyland (42.7) and Camberley (42.7).
Every neighbour of Perth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perth | 47,885 | — | 42.6 | 20% | 22% |
| Scone | 5,219 | 2.4 mi | 51.5 | 32% | 22% |
| Bridge of Earn | 2,917 | 4.3 mi | 46.8 | 26% | 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.
- “Perth and Kinross’ towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in Perth and Kinross (or Scotland), summed the same way as Perth’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 Perth’s residents
What is the population of Perth?
The 2022 Census counted 47,885 people in Perth’s locality.
What is the average age in Perth?
The median age was 42.6 at the 2022 Census, younger than 65% of UK towns. 12% of residents were 15 to 24 and 20% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Perth?
85% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 88% across Perth and Kinross’ towns. 12% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Perth?
54% said they had no religion and 37% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 1.1% were Muslim and 6.1% didn’t answer.
Is Perth good for families?
22% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Perth’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.