Photo: Thomas Nugent · CC BY-SA 2.0A median age of 38.3: Polbeth is younger than 88% of UK towns
58% of residents said they have no religion; across Scotland’s towns the figure is 51%. Higher than in 96% of UK towns: 44% of households live in a terraced house. Polbeth counted 2,595 residents and 1,135 households at the 2022 Census. Locally, nearly a quarter of households have no car or van.
What the Census says about Polbeth’s people
Younger than most towns
Half of Polbeth’s residents are under 38.3 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 12% are 15 to 24 and 15% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Scotland’s Census 2022 (output areas summed to the 2022 locality).
15% of residents are 65 or over, fewer than in 91% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
The largest age band is 30–34: 7.9% of residents. Higher than in 92% of UK towns: 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Typically, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Scotland’s towns.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Polbeth, 38.3. 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.
5.6% of adults are full-time students, more than in 76% of UK towns
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 a quarter of adults here, routine and semi-routine work 34% (Scotland’s towns: 33% and 25%). For comparison, 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.
Polbeth ranks above 75% of UK towns on households with dependent children: 30%
Household make-up at the 2022 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against West Lothian’s towns and Scotland’s towns
People per household
Scotland’s towns.
Across Scotland’s towns, households average 2.1 people; in Polbeth, 2.3. The usual figure: 24% of households have dependent children across Scotland’s towns. The share of one-person households stands at 32%. Shared households of unrelated adults are more common here than in nearly three quarters of UK towns.
13% of households live in a detached house, fewer than in 89% 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
Nearly two in five households live in a flat or apartment across Scotland’s towns, against 16% in Polbeth. Elsewhere, 18% of households live in a detached house across Scotland’s towns.
Residents whose main language is English make up 95% in Polbeth, less than in 77% 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
The largest groups were born in EU countries (3.4%) and in the Middle East and Asia (1.4%). 5.9% of residents were born outside the UK, fewer than in 55% of UK towns. On average, 94% of residents have English as their main language across Scotland’s towns. Recent arrivals (2017 or later) make up 25% of those born abroad (Scotland’s towns: 34%).
Residents who describe themselves as Christian make up 35% in Polbeth, less than in 97% 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: 92% of Polbeth · West Lothian’s towns 88% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
1.2% of residents said their religion is Muslim. As a yardstick, 39% of residents describe themselves as Christian across Scotland’s towns. At 92%, the share of residents who describe themselves as White British is higher than in 52% of UK towns.
15% of residents give unpaid care, more 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
Adults who have never married are about as common here as across Scotland’s towns, at 40%. Fewer married adults and civil partners than in 86% of UK towns: 42%. For unpaid carers, the comparison across Scotland’s towns is 12%. 120 residents care, unpaid, for at least 50 hours a week.
Degree-level qualifications: held by 18% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
In Polbeth, 18% of adults hold a degree-level qualification, against 32% across Scotland’s towns, while 22% have no qualification at all (17%).
515 UK towns of 2,500 to 4,000 people: this is the 37th youngest
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
Ages run from 20.6 in Keele to 63.1 in West Chiltington. Nearest to Polbeth in age: Tangmere (37.9), Papworth Everard (38.1), Feltwell (38.5) and Marden (38.5).
Every neighbour of Polbeth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polbeth | 2,595 | — | 38.3 | 15% | 30% |
| West Calder | 3,405 | 1 mi | 45.9 | 22% | 24% |
| Livingston | 55,798 | 2.5 mi | 41.2 | 16% | 29% |
| Blackburn | 5,263 | 2.9 mi | 42.4 | 19% | 24% |
| Mid Calder | 3,217 | 3.1 mi | 49.1 | 21% | 22% |
| Bathgate | 22,229 | 4.2 mi | 40.4 | 15% | 29% |
| East Calder | 7,249 | 4.4 mi | 38.9 | 15% | 33% |
| Whitburn | 11,772 | 5.3 mi | 40.7 | 18% | 26% |
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.
- “West Lothian’s towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in West Lothian (or Scotland), summed the same way as Polbeth’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 Polbeth’s residents
What is the population of Polbeth?
The 2022 Census counted 2,595 people in Polbeth’s locality.
What is the average age in Polbeth?
The median age was 38.3 at the 2022 Census, younger than 88% of UK towns. 12% of residents were 15 to 24 and 15% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Polbeth?
92% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 88% across West Lothian’s towns. 5.9% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Polbeth?
58% said they had no religion and 35% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 1.2% were Muslim and 5.4% didn’t answer.
Is Polbeth good for families?
30% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Polbeth’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.