Annual statistics have found that homelessness applications across major Scottish cities have increased in the past year, with Greater Glasgow experiencing the second largest numerical increase, with 6,567 open applications currently.
In 2024/25, 34,067 people across Scotland were assessed as homeless, a rise of 112 people since 2023/24, with 33,955 people assessed as homeless.
In the past three years, Glasgow has experienced a continual increase in youth homelessness applications. The 2023/24 year had 1,425 open applications, with the 2024/25 statistics increasing, with 1,695 open applications so far.
This is a 19 per cent increase from the 2023/24 annual statistics. Cities such as Edinburgh and Aberdeen have not experienced such a jump in numbers, with homelessness applications for both areas only increasing by one per cent in the past year.
People do not aim to be in this situation – 97 per cent of all homeless households across Scotland in 2024/25 are unintentionally homeless. Only 869 homeless households are intentional – reasons for which are often not in their control, despite them choosing to leave housing. This is the highest number of households assessed as intentionally homeless since November 2019, when legislation surrounding intentionality assessments were changed.
Most homeless people end up this way because of reasons beyond their control, with 26 per cent being forced out of their accommodation. Whilst a common reason is fleeing disputes, whether violent or non-violent, the inflation of housing prices and rent may be related to why landlords are forced to terminate a tenancy, a reason which makes up eight per cent of causes.
There has been an increase in the number of households applying for homelessness because of a termination of tenancy due to rent areas for local authority, an 18 per cent rise in a year, or a registered social landlord, 41 per cent, and private rentals, 15 per cent.
Whilst these numbers are rather high, altogether they only make up for two per cent of all applications in the past year.
Greater Glasgow is experiencing a record inflation increase, where people cannot afford to pay their rent any longer.
The Office for National Statistics recorded that in Glasgow: “private rent prices rose to an average of £1,251 in August 2025, an annual increase of 5.7 per cent from £1,183 in August 2024. This was higher than the rise in Scotland (3.5 per cent) over the year.”
The most recent census in 2022 found that 887,600 people, a third of Scottish residents, rented their home. This was an increase of 16,300 people from their records of 2011. Renting is increasingly becoming the way people live in Scotland, the numbers suggesting that by the next census, there will be more Scots renting their homes.
The inflation in rent prices in the last five years and the increasing amount of people losing their accommodations may have a relation. Yet, there is not enough homes for people to live in.
Jon Wroth-Smith, Director of Census Statistics, Office of National Statistics said:
“Around one in twenty (4.7%) households in the Glasgow City council area were overcrowded.”
The overcrowding in council areas and the inflation in Glasgow City is not helping the homelessness crisis, especially among young people. Vulnerable people do not have the resources to house themselves. With rent prices increasing, it will be difficult to get themselves out of this cycle.
Màiri McAllan, Housing Minister has said: “I recognise the significant pressure on homelessness services, particularly in Glasgow, and I continue to meet with the city council to discuss the situation there.”
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