Number of people living in Glasgow city centre soars by a third over last 13 years, figures show

The number of people living in Glasgow city centre has risen by a third in 13 years, new figures show.

Glasgow City Council say the latest population statistics show that 28,341 now live in the area, up from 21,185 in 2011.

Increasing the city centre population is part of a “key long-term plan” for the city after the council approved its City Centre Living Strategy in 2019.

The aim is to have a residential population in the centre of 40,000 by 2035 to make the city “more sustainable and economically successful”.

Plans to repurpose vacant commercial space for residential purposes will also help to create “resilient and cohesive neighbourhoods”, say the council.

Those in the 18-44 age group made up 80.9% of the population in 2022 from 77.1% in 2011, with those in the 45 and over age group making up 14.8% of the population, down from 19% in 2011.

Within the older group, there was a rise in the number of people aged between 45-64 living in the city centre, but their share of the population fell given the substantial overall rise in the 2011-22 period.

Developments at Candleriggs Square and Holland Park at Pitt Street are just some of the projects helping to drive the population increase, say the council.

Councillor Angus Millar, convener for city centre recovery at Glasgow City Council, said: “The population of Glasgow’s city centre has been steadily increasing, and continuing to support more people to live in the city centre will be essential for its future vitality.

“Comparable cities across the UK and beyond tend to have significantly more densely populated city centres than Glasgow, with a strong city centre population promoting sustainability and supporting local economies.

“With new residential development continuing to be delivered, we are continuing work to help make the city centre a more attractive place to live in.

“With the city centre population growing by a third over the past decade and more and more people continuing to choose city centre living, we are well on track to meet our target of 40,000 people living in the city centre by 2035.”