What is the safest place to live in Scotland?

Based on Scottish Government recorded-crime data for 2025-26, Shetland Islands has the lowest recorded crime rate in Scotland at 203 crimes per 10,000 people.

What is the safest city in Scotland?

The safest UK city in this list is Perth and Kinross with 424 recorded crimes per 10,000 people.

What is the average crime rate in Scotland?

Across the 32 Scottish local authorities, the average recorded crime rate is around 495 per 10,000 people. The range goes from 203 per 10,000 in Shetland Islands to 929 in Dundee.

Where does Scottish crime data come from?

Scottish crime data comes from the Scottish Government's annual recorded-crime publication (Tables 1 and 4), covering the 2025-26 financial year. Recording practices and offence classification differ slightly from England and Wales.

Safest Places to Live in Scotland 2026

Q: Is Scotland safer than England?

On the rural authorities, yes: the Highlands and Islands have rates below most English authorities. Urban Scotland is broadly comparable to mid-range English cities. Direct comparisons should be treated cautiously because Scotland uses a slightly different crime classification.

Scotland has some of the lowest recorded crime rates in the UK. The Highlands and Islands (Shetland, Orkney, Na h-Eileanan Siar) consistently top the list, with rates well under 250 crimes per 10,000 people. Even Scotland's higher-crime urban authorities are broadly comparable to mid-range English cities. The figures below come from the Scottish Government's recorded-crime data for 2025-26.

We've ranked 32 Scottish local authorities by recorded crime rate per 10,000 residents. The safest area is Shetland Islands at 203 per 10,000.

The ranking: 32 Scottish areas by crime rate

Sorted lowest crime first. Recorded crime rate is the number of crimes per 10,000 people from official police-recorded data.

#	Area	Crime / 10k	Monthly cost	Avg salary
1	Shetland Islands	203	£1,115/mo	£35,716
2	Na h-Eileanan Siar	236	£1,116/mo	£28,746
3	Orkney Islands	245	£1,126/mo	£31,737
4	East Renfrewshire	253	£1,429/mo	£39,965
5	East Dunbartonshire	280	£1,329/mo	£38,000
6	Aberdeenshire	294	£1,191/mo	£33,799
7	Scottish Borders	409	£1,060/mo	£28,796
8	Argyll and Bute	411	£1,158/mo	£30,436
9	Perth and Kinross	424	£1,101/mo	£31,851
10	Angus	425	£1,156/mo	£30,681
11	Highland	430	£1,124/mo	£31,416
12	Moray	441	£1,130/mo	£26,943
13	Stirling	449	£1,198/mo	£33,832
14	South Ayrshire	462	£1,051/mo	£33,986
15	East Lothian	482	£1,626/mo	£33,737
16	Midlothian	499	£1,634/mo	£31,856
17	South Lanarkshire	501	£1,131/mo	£34,293
18	Clackmannanshire	519	£1,193/mo	£31,992
19	Renfrewshire	532	£1,102/mo	£32,832
20	East Ayrshire	538	£1,052/mo	£33,117
21	North Ayrshire	544	£1,050/mo	£34,689
22	Fife	545	£1,141/mo	£32,445
23	Dumfries and Galloway	552	£1,011/mo	£29,649
24	Falkirk	552	£1,195/mo	£32,330
25	West Lothian	553	£1,205/mo	£33,302
26	North Lanarkshire	588	£1,086/mo	£34,105
27	Inverclyde	594	£1,101/mo	£29,020
28	Aberdeen	667	£1,195/mo	£32,399
29	West Dunbartonshire	695	£1,162/mo	£31,962
30	Edinburgh	744	£1,622/mo	£37,380
31	Glasgow	849	£1,435/mo	£32,121
32	Dundee	929	£1,164/mo	£30,523

Scottish rents are published for 18 rental market areas, not for each council, so neighbouring councils can share a rent figure.

32 areas with published crime data covered. Areas without reliable crime data are excluded.

Top 10 safest Scottish areas, in detail

Shetland Islands

203 per 10,000

The most remote UK local authority, with Britain's lowest recorded crime rate. Oil-and-gas wealth keeps earnings unusually high.

See the full crime breakdown on the Shetland Islands area profile.

Na h-Eileanan Siar

236 per 10,000

The Western Isles (Outer Hebrides). Gaelic-speaking communities, fishing and crofting economy.

See the full crime breakdown on the Na h-Eileanan Siar area profile.

Orkney Islands

245 per 10,000

Island archipelago off the north coast. Small population, low crime, and an unusually strong cultural infrastructure.

See the full crime breakdown on the Orkney Islands area profile.

East Renfrewshire

253 per 10,000

Another wealthy Glasgow commuter authority. Excellent schools and very low crime.

See the full crime breakdown on the East Renfrewshire area profile.

East Dunbartonshire

280 per 10,000

Affluent commuter authority north of Glasgow; consistently one of the safest urban-fringe areas in Scotland.

See the full crime breakdown on the East Dunbartonshire area profile.

Aberdeenshire

294 per 10,000

A Scottish authority with a low recorded crime rate. Typically a smaller-population area or a suburban/rural district.

See the full crime breakdown on the Aberdeenshire area profile.

Scottish Borders

409 per 10,000

The hill country south of Edinburgh. Rural and small-town, with a direct rail link to Edinburgh from Galashiels.

See the full crime breakdown on the Scottish Borders area profile.

Argyll and Bute

411 per 10,000

A Scottish authority with a low recorded crime rate. Typically a smaller-population area or a suburban/rural district.

See the full crime breakdown on the Argyll and Bute area profile.

Perth and Kinross

424 per 10,000

A Scottish authority with a low recorded crime rate. Typically a smaller-population area or a suburban/rural district.

See the full crime breakdown on the Perth and Kinross area profile.

Angus

425 per 10,000

A Scottish authority with a recorded crime rate of 425 per 10,000 residents.

See the full crime breakdown on the Angus area profile.

Regional context

Scottish crime data uses a slightly different classification from England and Wales (some Scottish 'antisocial offences' are recorded separately and don't appear in the public-order category). Cross-border comparisons should be treated as directional rather than precise. Within Scotland, the figures are fully comparable.

A note on the data

How the crime figures were built

Crime rates are based on recorded crimes per 10,000 residents from the Home Office (England and Wales, year ending March 2026) or the Scottish Government (Scotland, 2025-26). Recording practices vary between police forces and recorded crime doesn't capture unreported crime. These figures are a directional indicator of police activity and reported incidents rather than a complete picture of crime in an area. Explore our UK crime map for a visual view.