The population estimates for settlements and localities, along with other population and demographic statistics, have been designated as National Statistics by the United Kingdom Statistics Authority (UKSA). To ensure that they continue to comply with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics requirement of sound methods and assured quality, the estimates are subjected to a thorough process of quality assurance.

Any major increases or decreases in population for any settlement or locality are checked to ensure that they can be reasonably explained and are consistent with population trends in the surrounding areas.

Local authorities have also been invited to participate in a consultation process to provide advice on settlement boundaries and how localities should be identified within larger settlements.

Figures for settlement and locality totals in this report and the accompanying data tables have been rounded to the nearest 10. Breakdowns by sex and age groups are provided at unit level, but it is not implied that estimates are accurate to this level of detail. The population figures are estimates that have gone through a number of stages of processing, each of which may impact on the quality of the estimates.

The main issue with accuracy is the quality of the postcode estimates that are produced for the publication. Data zone populations are aggregated down to postcode populations based on the number of residential dwellings obtained from the Royal Mail. Dwellings’ populations can vary and some are vacant or used as second homes. This method assumes all dwellings have a proportionate share of the data zones population. In most cases, data zones are contained completely inside Settlements and Localities so the postcode breakdown is irrelevant. The accuracy is instead reliant on the quality of the SAPE publication (as detailed above). Additionally, the estimates by sex and age for settlements and localities can be affected by areas close to but outside of the settlement or locality with unusual age or sex ratios - for example, military bases and university halls of residence. Communal establishments are considered separately in the methodology to prevent this, however our data on communal establishments is not always complete.

For more information on the accuracy and reliability of the Settlements and Localities datasets please see the Methodology Guide on the NRS website.

It is important to note that comparisons over time are not appropriate for this publication as population changes relative to previous publications may be attributable to factors other than the normal population changes experienced by an area. For example, changes to postcode boundaries affect the inclusion of households on the extreme edges of settlements.

It is the policy of National Records of Scotland to make its website and products accessible according to published guidelines. More information is available in the Accessibility section of the NRS website.

These statistics are used by both local authorities and central government for various purposes. These include:

• Contributing to the ‘Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification’ publication which is based on the identification of key population thresholds of 3,000, 10,000, and 125,000;
• Helping to identify rural settlements in which properties may be eligible for non-domestic rate relief under the terms of the Local Government and Rating Act 1997; and
• Helping to identify communities which may be entitled to purchase land under the terms of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.

The estimates refer to the population as at 30 June 2016. The mid-year population estimates for Settlements and Localities have been published 20 months after this date.

Revisions and corrections to previously published statistics are dealt with in accordance with the Scottish Government Statistician Group corporate policy statement on revisions and corrections.