Edinburgh has the longest-living, healthiest population in Scotland, and the highest employment rate of any major city in the UK, according to new figures.
Details from the annual Edinburgh in Numbers report, which gathers statistics from a variety of sources, including the Office for National Statistics (ONS), National Records of Scotland and the Scottish Household Survey, painted a glowing portrait of Scotland’s capital city.
The report, published by The City of Edinburgh Council, shows the capital’s employment rate stands at 83.2%, ahead of Bristol (79.5%), London (75.5%) and all other major UK cities.
Workers in Edinburgh also take home the highest pay outside London, with median hourly earnings of £20.49 – more than 50% above the UK Real Living Wage of £13.45 and up 6.1% on the previous year.
The city’s unemployment rate has fallen to 2.5%, its lowest level in a decade and less than half the rate recorded ten years ago.
Life expectancy in Edinburgh leads all Scottish cities, at 82 years for women and 78 for men.
Both men and women spend around 80% of their lives in good health – again the highest proportion of any Scottish city.
Around 86% of residents take part in some form of sport or fitness activity, including walking.
Edinburgh’s population has grown by 9.4% in the decade to 2024, reaching an estimated 530,680 – more than double the national growth rate of 4%.
Overseas migration is the dominant driver, accounting for a net inflow more than ten times greater than the combined effect of births and deaths over the period. This fact has been championed as one of the city’s strengths in the council’s recent “Edinburgh is my Home” campaign.
The city attracted five million overnight visits in 2024, generating £2.57 billion in visitor spend – a 14.3% increase on the previous year.
Hotel occupancy reached 85.4%, the highest figure in seven years. Edinburgh accounted for almost half of all international staying visits to Scotland.
The city’s Gross Value Added per capita stands at £65,500 – 40% higher than Glasgow, the next-ranked Scottish city, and second only to Manchester among major UK cities outside London.
Finance and insurance alone generates £8.8 billion in GVA, more than the next three sectors combined.
Edinburgh has 36 Green Flag parks – again, the highest level in the UK – with 76% of residents living within a five-minute walk of green or blue space.
Around 60% of all journeys involve walking or public transport, and 68% of short trips under two miles are made on foot or by bike.
Public transport satisfaction stands at 86%, more than 20 percentage points above the Scottish average.
However, the report also highlights persistent challenges. One in six Edinburgh residents -17% – lives in relative poverty.
Average property prices reached £294,488 in September 2025, higher than every major UK city outside London and Bristol, and up 4.2% on the year.
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