As a result of the first periodical review of Scottish Parliament constituencies undertaken by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, new constituencies and additional member regions of the Scottish Parliament were introduced for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election. The D'Hondt method is used, as previously, in the allocation of additional member seats. These boundaries were also used for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election and 2021 Scottish Parliament election; following the Second periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries, which concluded in 2025, new boundaries will be used for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
Boundary review
The Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004 required the Boundary Commission for Scotland to review boundaries of all constituencies except Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands (which cover, respectively, the Orkney Islands council area and the Shetland Islands council area) so that the area covered by the reviewed constituencies continues to be covered by a total of 71 constituencies. The Orkney and Shetland constituencies were taken into account, however, in review of boundaries of the additional member regions. The Commission began the review as announced on 3 July 2007, and provisional proposals were published on Thursday 14 February 2008. Final recommendations followed public consultations and a series of local inquiries, and the terms of the 2004 act required final recommendations to be submitted in a report to the Secretary of State for Scotland not later than 30 June 2010.
For the purposes of boundary reviews the commission must take into account the boundaries of the local government council areas. In order to do this some council areas were grouped together, the largest of these groupings of provisional proposals consisted of four of Scotland's 32 council areas the smallest only containing one. Constituencies created in 1999 were based on Scottish Westminster constituencies that were created in 1997 and they in turn were based on the boundaries of local government regions and districts and islands areas that existed at the time, but since have been abolished and replaced with the council areas.
A second periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries was begun by Boundaries Scotland in 2022, establishing new constituency and electoral region boundaries that will be first contested at the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
Constituencies
Constituency Council area or areas Additional members region Population (2019)Scottish Parliamentary Constituency (SPC) Population Estimates (2011 Data Zone based) , National Records of Scotland; retrieved 6 May 2021 (accompanying summary notes )Aberdeen CentralAberdeen CityNorth East Scotland83,675Aberdeen DonsideAberdeen CityNorth East Scotland80,156Aberdeen South and North KincardineAberdeen City, AberdeenshireNorth East Scotland79,644Aberdeenshire EastAberdeenshireNorth East Scotland80,855Aberdeenshire WestAberdeenshireNorth East Scotland76,516Airdrie and ShottsNorth LanarkshireCentral Scotland70,478Almond ValleyWest LothianLothian86,477Angus North and MearnsAberdeenshire, AngusNorth East Scotland70,839Angus SouthAngusNorth East Scotland72,926Argyll and ButeArgyll and ButeHighlands and Islands60,394AyrSouth AyrshireSouth Scotland75,598Banffshire and Buchan CoastAberdeenshire, MorayNorth East Scotland75,612Caithness, Sutherland and RossHighlandHighlands and Islands69,767Carrick, Cumnock and Doon ValleyEast Ayrshire, South AyrshireSouth Scotland75,928Clackmannanshire and DunblaneClackmannanshire, StirlingMid Scotland and Fife68,728Clydebank and MilngavieEast Dunbartonshire, West DunbartonshireWest Scotland70,398ClydesdaleSouth LanarkshireSouth Scotland72,548Coatbridge and ChrystonNorth LanarkshireCentral Scotland72,162CowdenbeathFifeMid Scotland and Fife71,913Cumbernauld and KilsythNorth LanarkshireCentral Scotland64,322Cunninghame NorthNorth AyrshireWest Scotland69,233Cunninghame SouthNorth AyrshireWest Scotland66,047DumbartonArgyll and Bute, West DunbartonshireWest Scotland72,921DumfriesshireDumfries and GallowaySouth Scotland75,849Dundee City EastDundee CityNorth East Scotland70,971Dundee City WestDundee CityNorth East Scotland77,779DunfermlineFifeMid Scotland and Fife77,005East KilbrideSouth LanarkshireCentral Scotland77,300East LothianEast LothianSouth Scotland79,505EastwoodEast RenfrewshireWest Scotland71,066Edinburgh CentralCity of EdinburghLothian94,040Edinburgh EasternCity of EdinburghLothian86,488Edinburgh Northern and LeithCity of EdinburghLothian93,605Edinburgh PentlandsCity of EdinburghLothian77,633Edinburgh SouthernCity of EdinburghLothian81,639Edinburgh WesternCity of EdinburghLothian85,095Ettrick, Roxburgh and BerwickshireScottish BordersSouth Scotland68,019Falkirk EastFalkirkCentral Scotland80,482Falkirk WestFalkirkCentral Scotland79,858Galloway and West DumfriesDumfries and GallowaySouth Scotland72,941Glasgow AnnieslandGlasgow CityGlasgow75,114Glasgow CathcartGlasgow CityGlasgow74,809Glasgow KelvinGlasgow CityGlasgow93,212Glasgow Maryhill and SpringburnGlasgow CityGlasgow74,527Glasgow PollokGlasgow CityGlasgow81,004Glasgow ProvanGlasgow CityGlasgow76,859Glasgow ShettlestonGlasgow CityGlasgow79,969Glasgow SouthsideGlasgow CityGlasgow70,916Greenock and InverclydeInverclydeWest Scotland72,866Hamilton, Larkhall and StonehouseSouth LanarkshireCentral Scotland74,077Inverness and NairnHighlandHighlands and Islands89,755Kilmarnock and Irvine ValleyEast AyrshireSouth Scotland82,864KirkcaldyFifeMid Scotland and Fife78,351LinlithgowWest LothianLothian95,663Mid Fife and GlenrothesFifeMid Scotland and Fife69,415Midlothian North and MusselburghEast Lothian, MidlothianLothian85,799Midlothian South, Tweeddale and LauderdaleMidlothian, Scottish BordersSouth Scotland79,077MorayMorayHighlands and Islands80,367Motherwell and WishawNorth LanarkshireCentral Scotland76,394Na h-Eileanan an IarNa h-Eileanan SiarHighlands and Islands26,830North East FifeFifeMid Scotland and Fife75,226Orkney IslandsOrkney IslandsHighlands and Islands22,190PaisleyRenfrewshireWest Scotland72,752Perthshire NorthPerth and KinrossMid Scotland and Fife72,577Perthshire South and Kinross-shirePerth and KinrossMid Scotland and Fife78,713Renfrewshire North and WestInverclyde, RenfrewshireWest Scotland66,270Renfrewshire SouthEast Renfrewshire, RenfrewshireWest Scotland68,156RutherglenSouth LanarkshireGlasgow77,568Shetland IslandsShetland IslandsHighlands and Islands22,990Skye, Lochaber and BadenochHighlandHighlands and Islands76,018StirlingStirlingMid Scotland and Fife77,002Strathkelvin and BearsdenEast DunbartonshireWest Scotland80,007Uddingston and BellshillNorth Lanarkshire, South LanarkshireCentral Scotland74,351
Electoral regions
The Boundary Commission also recommended changes to the electoral regions used to elect "list" members of the Scottish Parliament. The recommendations can be summarised below;
Region Constituenciesmap Central Scotland(2019 population: 669,424) Airdrie and Shotts Coatbridge and Chryston Cumbernauld and Kilsyth East Kilbride Falkirk East Falkirk West Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Motherwell and Wishaw Uddingston and Bellshill Glasgow(2019 population: 703,978) Glasgow Anniesland Glasgow Cathcart Glasgow Kelvin Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn Glasgow Pollok Glasgow Provan Glasgow Shettleston Glasgow Southside Rutherglen Highlands and Islands(2019 population: 448,311) Argyll and Bute Caithness, Sutherland and Ross Inverness and Nairn Moray Na h-Eileanan an Iar Orkney Islands Shetland Islands Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch Lothian(2019 population: 786,439) Almond Valley Edinburgh Central Edinburgh Eastern Edinburgh Northern and Leith Edinburgh Pentlands Edinburgh Southern Edinburgh Western Linlithgow Midlothian North and Musselburgh Mid Scotland and Fife(2019 population: 668,930)Clackmannanshire and Dunblane Cowdenbeath Dunfermline Kirkcaldy Mid Fife and Glenrothes North East Fife Perthshire North Perthshire South and Kinross-shire Stirling North East Scotland(2019 population: 768,973) Aberdeen Central Aberdeen Donside Aberdeen South and North Kincardine Aberdeenshire East Aberdeenshire West Angus North and Mearns Angus South Banffshire and Buchan Coast Dundee City East Dundee City West South Scotland(2019 population: 682,329) Ayr Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley Clydesdale Dumfriesshire East Lothian Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire Galloway and West Dumfries Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale West Scotland(2019 population: 709,716) Clydebank and Milngavie Cunninghame North Cunninghame South Dumbarton Eastwood Greenock and Inverclyde Paisley Renfrewshire North and West Renfrewshire South Strathkelvin and Bearsden
Footnotes
References