Scotland’s ageing population is driving up the number of mortgage-free households, while the proportion of young homeowners has remained almost unchanged in a decade, new census analysis shows.
A third of Scottish households — 851,100 — now own their homes outright, according to the 2022 census, up from 660,600 (27.8 per cent) in 2011 and and 513,600 (23.4 per cent) in 2001.
Two thirds (67 per cent) of householders aged 65 and over were mortgage-free, compared with 36 per cent of those aged 50 to 64, 9 per cent of those aged 35 to 49, and 6 per cent of under-35s.
Jon Wroth-Smith, director of census statistics at National Records of Scotland, said: “With the passing of time, many of today’s over-65s will have had