Shetland Islands

Key figures

7 of 9 measures have a published figure for Shetland Islands · no figure for annual rent as a share of pay, band d council tax as a share of pay. Each figure is the publisher’s own, for the period named beside it.

Population change, year by year

The same decomposition for every published year in Shetland Islands: births and deaths, net moves within the UK, net international migration, and the ONS’s balancing item.

Years to mid-2024 are the ONS’s rebased back series, made consistent with Census 2021 — its figures deliberately differ from the estimates published at the time. Every cell is a published figure; the total is the sum of net moves, natural change and other, which is our addition. A dash is a year the source does not publish for this area, never a zero.

Rates per 1,000 residents

The same population flows, adjusted for Shetland Islands’s size, so they can be compared with any other area’s: each year’s flow divided by the population that mid-year, times 1,000.

A Civometry calculation, not a published figure: ONS publishes these flows and the population, but not the rates. Net rates are signed — below zero means more left than arrived. Rates are crude, not age-standardised, so areas with very different age structures still differ for reasons size cannot remove. Each link shows the full recipe and every year.

Pay against housing costs

How pay in Shetland Islands moved over its latest published year, beside how the cost of buying and renting moved over theirs. The three series come from different publishers on different timetables, so each row covers its own year, named in the row.

Pay rose faster than the housing cost shown over these periods.

Levels are the publishers’ own (ONS ASHE median annual pay for full-time employees living in the area; HM Land Registry UK House Price Index; ONS Price Index of Private Rents). The percentage changes are Civometry arithmetic on the two published values in each row. Pay is a survey of employees and says nothing about a particular household; one year is weather, not climate.

Who runs the council

Independent (2026) — Other and independent 21, Green 1, SNP 1 of 23 seats.

Not an official statistic. Compiled by Open Council Data UK, an independent project, not by any government department: no official body publishes council political control. Councils are matched to GSS codes by name here; county councils and districts abolished before the current boundaries are not included. This is the one dataset on the site that is not read from an official publication, and every page that shows it says so. Source: Open Council Data UK (CC0).

Between the censuses

How Shetland Islands’s religion, ethnic-group and country-of-birth make-up changed between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, category by category. The two censuses compared.

Crime

No recorded-crime data is loaded for this area. Coverage.

Published for this area

• Median annual pay, full-time employees, by area of residence2025 · up 6.6% on a year earlier · ONS, published 23 October 2025£46,527
• People claiming unemployment-related benefitsJuly 2026 · up 16.7% on a year earlier · ONS, published 18 August 2026175people
• Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16 to 64July 2026 · up 0.1 points on a year earlier · ONS, published 18 August 20261.2%
• Band D council tax in ScotlandYear ending March 2027 · up 7.3% on a year earlier · Scottish Government, published 31 March 2026£1,488
• House price annual changeJune 2026 · down 7.9 points on a year earlier · HM Land Registry, published 20 August 2026-6%
• Average house priceJune 2026 · down 6.0% on a year earlier · HM Land Registry, published 20 August 2026£187,659
• Population by local authorityMid-2024 · up 0.4% on a year earlier · ONS, published 26 September 202523,190people
• Crimes recorded by the police in ScotlandYear ending March 2026 · up 13.5% on a year earlier · Scottish Government, published 23 June 2026470crimes
• Crimes and offences recorded in Scotland per 10,000 peopleYear ending March 2026 · up 13.5% on a year earlier · Scottish Government, published 23 June 2026202.7per 10,000 population
• Median weekly pay, full-time employees, by area of residence2025 · up 10.4% on a year earlier · ONS, published 23 October 2025£864

National figures that apply here

These are not measured for Shetland Islands; they are the figure for the nation or the UK, shown because they apply to everyone in it.

• Average Band D council tax (England average)Year ending March 2027 · up 4.9%£2,392
• Unemployment rate (UK)2026 Q2 · up 0.2 points4.9%
• Universal Credit caseload (Great Britain)Year ending March 2025 · up 16.3%5,473,000households
• Persistent absence (England)2024/25 academic year · down 1.8 points18.1%
• Average annual electricity bill (UK)2025 · down 1.3%£1,069

Then and now

The first and last years published for Shetland Islands, and the difference between the two. Both figures are published for this area; the difference is those two numbers subtracted, which you can check by hand.

• £22,7212008→£46,5272025

  Median annual pay, full-time employees, by area of residence

  In Shetland Islands, median annual pay, full-time employees, by area of residence rose from £22,721 in 2008 to £46,527 in 2025, a change of £23,806 or 104.8%, in cash terms, not adjusted for inflation (ONS).

  How this figure was worked out

  £46,527 in 2025 − £22,721 in 2008 = £23,806, which is 104.8% of the figure for 2008.

  18 published years spanning 17 years, from ONS. Years before the current series come from Median annual pay, full-time employees, by area of residence, 2002 to 2023, held as a separate series so the two are never mixed inside one figure. Cash terms: these are the amounts as published, not adjusted for inflation.

  In Shetland Islands, median annual pay, full-time employees, by area of residence rose from £22,721 in 2008 to £46,527 in 2025, a change of £23,806 or 104.8%, in cash terms, not adjusted for inflation (ONS).

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• £4612008→£8642025

  Median weekly pay, full-time employees, by area of residence

  In Shetland Islands, median weekly pay, full-time employees, by area of residence rose from £461 in 2008 to £864 in 2025, a change of £402 or 87.3%, in cash terms, not adjusted for inflation (ONS).

  How this figure was worked out

  £864 in 2025 − £461 in 2008 = £402, which is 87.3% of the figure for 2008.

  The two ends are rounded for display. The published figures are 863.60 and 461.20, and 863.60 − 461.20 = 402.40.

  18 published years spanning 17 years, from ONS. Years before the current series come from Median weekly pay, full-time employees, by area of residence, 2002 to 2023, held as a separate series so the two are never mixed inside one figure. Cash terms: these are the amounts as published, not adjusted for inflation.

  In Shetland Islands, median weekly pay, full-time employees, by area of residence rose from £461 in 2008 to £864 in 2025, a change of £402 or 87.3%, in cash terms, not adjusted for inflation (ONS).

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• -80Year to mid-2012→-60Year to mid-2024

  Net internal migration by local authority

  In Shetland Islands, net internal migration by local authority rose from -80 in Year to mid-2012 to -60 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 20 or 25.0% (ONS).

  How this figure was worked out

  -60 in Year to mid-2024 − -80 in Year to mid-2012 = 20, which is 25.0% of the figure for Year to mid-2012.

  13 published years spanning 12 years, from ONS. Years before the current series come from Internal migration net by local authority, 2012 to 2024, held as a separate series so the two are never mixed inside one figure.

  In Shetland Islands, net internal migration by local authority rose from -80 in Year to mid-2012 to -60 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 20 or 25.0% (ONS).

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• 120Year to mid-2012→270Year to mid-2024

  International migration into a local authority

  In Shetland Islands, international migration into a local authority rose from 120 in Year to mid-2012 to 270 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 150 or 125.0% (ONS).

  How this figure was worked out

  270 in Year to mid-2024 − 120 in Year to mid-2012 = 150, which is 125.0% of the figure for Year to mid-2012.

  13 published years spanning 12 years, from ONS. Years before the current series come from International migration in by local authority, 2012 to 2024, held as a separate series so the two are never mixed inside one figure.

  In Shetland Islands, international migration into a local authority rose from 120 in Year to mid-2012 to 270 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 150 or 125.0% (ONS).

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• 110Year to mid-2012→60Year to mid-2024

  International migration out of a local authority

  In Shetland Islands, international migration out of a local authority fell from 110 in Year to mid-2012 to 60 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 50 or 45.5% (ONS).

  How this figure was worked out

  60 in Year to mid-2024 − 110 in Year to mid-2012 = −50, which is 45.5% of the figure for Year to mid-2012.

  13 published years spanning 12 years, from ONS. Years before the current series come from International migration out by local authority, 2012 to 2024, held as a separate series so the two are never mixed inside one figure.

  In Shetland Islands, international migration out of a local authority fell from 110 in Year to mid-2012 to 60 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 50 or 45.5% (ONS).

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• 0Year to mid-2012→210Year to mid-2024

  Net international migration by local authority

  In Shetland Islands, net international migration by local authority rose from 0 in Year to mid-2012 to 210 in Year to mid-2024 (ONS).

  How this figure was worked out

  210 in Year to mid-2024 − 0 in Year to mid-2012 = 210.

  13 published years spanning 12 years, from ONS. Years before the current series come from International migration net by local authority, 2012 to 2024, held as a separate series so the two are never mixed inside one figure.

  In Shetland Islands, net international migration by local authority rose from 0 in Year to mid-2012 to 210 in Year to mid-2024 (ONS).

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• 254Year to mid-2012→189Year to mid-2024

  Births by local authority

  In Shetland Islands, births by local authority fell from 254 in Year to mid-2012 to 189 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 65 or 25.6% (ONS).

  How this figure was worked out

  189 in Year to mid-2024 − 254 in Year to mid-2012 = −65, which is 25.6% of the figure for Year to mid-2012.

  13 published years spanning 12 years, from ONS. Years before the current series come from Births by local authority, 2012 to 2024, held as a separate series so the two are never mixed inside one figure.

  In Shetland Islands, births by local authority fell from 254 in Year to mid-2012 to 189 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 65 or 25.6% (ONS).

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• 212Year to mid-2012→235Year to mid-2024

  Deaths by local authority

  In Shetland Islands, deaths by local authority rose from 212 in Year to mid-2012 to 235 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 23 or 10.8% (ONS).

  How this figure was worked out

  235 in Year to mid-2024 − 212 in Year to mid-2012 = 23, which is 10.8% of the figure for Year to mid-2012.

  13 published years spanning 12 years, from ONS. Years before the current series come from Deaths by local authority, 2012 to 2024, held as a separate series so the two are never mixed inside one figure.

  In Shetland Islands, deaths by local authority rose from 212 in Year to mid-2012 to 235 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 23 or 10.8% (ONS).

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• 42Year to mid-2012→-46Year to mid-2024

  Births minus deaths by local authority

  In Shetland Islands, births minus deaths by local authority fell from 42 in Year to mid-2012 to -46 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 88 or 209.5% (ONS).

  How this figure was worked out

  -46 in Year to mid-2024 − 42 in Year to mid-2012 = −88, which is 209.5% of the figure for Year to mid-2012.

  13 published years spanning 12 years, from ONS. Years before the current series come from Natural change by local authority, 2012 to 2024, held as a separate series so the two are never mixed inside one figure.

  In Shetland Islands, births minus deaths by local authority fell from 42 in Year to mid-2012 to -46 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 88 or 209.5% (ONS).

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• -12Year to mid-2012→-14Year to mid-2024

  Other population change by local authority

  In Shetland Islands, other population change by local authority fell from -12 in Year to mid-2012 to -14 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 2 or 16.7% (ONS).

  How this figure was worked out

  -14 in Year to mid-2024 − -12 in Year to mid-2012 = −2, which is 16.7% of the figure for Year to mid-2012.

  13 published years spanning 12 years, from ONS. Years before the current series come from Other population change by local authority, 2012 to 2024, held as a separate series so the two are never mixed inside one figure.

  In Shetland Islands, other population change by local authority fell from -12 in Year to mid-2012 to -14 in Year to mid-2024, a change of 2 or 16.7% (ONS).

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Compare Shetland Islands with another place

Every figure both areas publish, side by side, from its own publisher with the period named:

• Shetland Islands and Birmingham
• Shetland Islands and Leeds
• Shetland Islands and North Yorkshire
• Shetland Islands and Somerset
• Shetland Islands and Cornwall
• Shetland Islands and Buckinghamshire

Or open any two areas as /compare/places/<area>/<area> — the address carries the whole comparison.

Nearby areas

The closest other local authorities, each with its own report card and a side-by-side comparison:

• Orkney Islands · compare
• Moray · compare
• Aberdeenshire · compare
• Aberdeen City · compare
• Highland · compare
• Angus · compare

Areas like Shetland Islands

The local authorities whose published rents, pay, house prices, council tax and claimant count sit closest to Shetland Islands’s, wherever they are in the UK. Computed from the figures, not curated.

• Orkney Islands · compare
• Aberdeenshire · compare
• East Renfrewshire · compare
• East Dunbartonshire · compare
• Westmorland and Furness · compare
• Stirling · compare

Since you moved here

Pick the year you arrived, and see what every series published for Shetland Islands said then and says now, with the periods named. Shetland Islands since you moved here, or read the whole run year by year.

Where these figures come from

Every figure above is published by the body named here, for the release named here. Figures marked as a Civometry calculation are arithmetic on those published figures and are not official statistics.

Not yet published here

Income, employment, benefits by area, health, education and religion for Shetland Islands are on the way where an open official source exists; where one does not, the data gaps register says why. Local claimant counts are behind a login.