Claimant rate: highest and lowest councils in Scotland (August 2026)
Glasgow had the highest claimant rate of Scotland’s 32 councils in August 2026, at 4.9%.
Shetland Islands had the lowest, at 1.2%. The middle council, Scottish Borders, had 2.9%.
See it on the map| Rank | Council | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow | 4.9% |
| =2 | Dundee | 4.2% |
| =2 | North Ayrshire | 4.2% |
| 4 | West Dunbartonshire | 3.9% |
| 5 | Aberdeen | 3.8% |
| 6 | East Ayrshire | 3.7% |
| 7 | Inverclyde | 3.5% |
| 8 | Fife | 3.4% |
| 9 | Angus | 3.3% |
| 10 | South Ayrshire | 3.2% |
| 11 | North Lanarkshire | 3.1% |
| =12 | Clackmannanshire | 3.0% |
| =12 | Falkirk | 3.0% |
| =12 | Renfrewshire | 3.0% |
| =15 | Dumfries and Galloway | 2.9% |
| =15 | Scottish Borders | 2.9% |
| =17 | Edinburgh | 2.8% |
| =17 | South Lanarkshire | 2.8% |
| 19 | West Lothian | 2.7% |
| =20 | Midlothian | 2.6% |
| =20 | Moray | 2.6% |
| =22 | Argyll and Bute | 2.5% |
| =22 | East Lothian | 2.5% |
| 24 | Perth and Kinross | 2.4% |
| =25 | Highland | 2.3% |
| =25 | Stirling | 2.3% |
| 27 | Aberdeenshire | 2.1% |
| 28 | East Dunbartonshire | 2.0% |
| 29 | Na h-Eileanan Siar | 1.9% |
| 30 | East Renfrewshire | 1.8% |
| 31 | Orkney Islands | 1.6% |
| 32 | Shetland Islands | 1.2% |