Previous censuses « Scotland's Census: Shaping Our Future

Previous censuses

The last census was held in 2001.

Census details from 1841-1901 have been transcribed and indexed and are available online.
A census of population in Scotland has been held every 10 years since 1801 (except 1941 during the war).
Parish schoolmasters carried out the census until 1831.
The first official census recorded Scotland’s population at 1.6 million in 1801. It doubled to around 3 million by 1861 – and by 2001 it was almost 5.1 million.
The 2011 Census marks the 150th anniversary since the National Records of Scotland, formarally the General Register Office for Scotland, took responsibility for organising Scotland’s census in 1861.

Further details about previous censuses can be found on the official Scottish genealogy resource Scotland'sPeople