The happiest and unhappiest places in Scotland named by new ONS data - full list

The areas of Scotland that are the most happy and unhappy have been revealed in new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ONS has released the latest edition of its happiness report, which uses data from the Annual Population Survey to estimate life satisfaction, happiness, anxiety, and the feeling that things done in life are worthwhile at both a nationwide and local level.

The research offers insight into feelings across different areas within Scotland, from Glasgow to Shetland. Happiness levels were highest in Na h-Eileanan Siar, Shetland, and Orkney. Meanwhile, the unhappiest areas were North Ayrshire, Glasgow City, and East Ayrshire.

Similarly, when it comes to life satisfaction, Shetland, Na h-Eileanan Siar, and Orkney were found to have the highest averages, while North Ayrshire, Glasgow City, and West Dunbartonshire were found to have the lowest.

Meanwhile, the regions in Scotland that have the highest average levels of anxiety according to the ONS data are South Ayrshire, the City of Edinburgh, and Renfrewshire.

On the other hand, Shetland, Na h-Eileanan Siar, and Orkney have the lowest levels of anxiety on average.

When it comes to the feeling that things done in life are worthwhile, Shetland, Na h-Eileanan Siar, and Orkney had the highest scores on average, while Glasgow City, North Ayrshire, and Clackmannanshire had the lowest.

Shetland was found to have the highest average life satisfaction in Scotland (Lars Johansson / EyeEm / Getty Images)

It was found that the average ratings for life satisfaction increased in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland between April 2021 to March 2022 compared with the previous year. However, the increase in Scotland was "not statistically significant".

The data for happiness and the feeling that the things done in life are worthwhile is similar, with Scotland showing no statistically significant improvement. However, the level of anxiety in the country did see a decrease compared with the previous year.

The average life satisfaction rating across the whole of Scotland was found to be 7.45 out of 10, compared with 7.55 in England, 7.48 in Wales, and 7.69 in Northern Ireland.

Looking at the feeling that things done in life are worthwhile, the data reveals that Scotland has an average rating of 7.68, compared with the scores of 7.78, 7.74, and 7.96 for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland respectively.

Meanwhile, the average score for happiness in Scotland was 7.36, while England was 7.45, Wales was 7.43, and Northern Ireland was 7.61.

Finally, average ratings for anxiety in Scotland were found to be 3.09 out of 10, compared with 3.13, 3.17, and 2.84 for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland respectively.

As noted by the ONS, different local authorities should not be directly compared due to the low sample sizes and large confidence intervals estimates. However, the data still provides a valuable insight into how happy the public is in different regions of Scotland.

Read on for a full summary of the ratings for all Scottish areas in terms of life satisfaction, the feeling that things done in life are worthwhile, happiness, and anxiety, sorted from highest to lowest.

Happiness

According to the data, Edinburgh has among the highest average anxiety levels in Scotland (georgeclerk / Getty Images)

1. Na h-Eileanan Siar - 8.05
2. Shetland Islands - 8.03
3. Orkney Islands - 7.85
4. Highland - 7.64
5. Aberdeenshire - 7.62
6. East Dunbartonshire - 7.59
7. Midlothian - 7.57
8. Argyll and Bute - 7.56
9. Stirling - 7.50
10. Scottish Borders - 7.46
11. Angus - 7.45
12. Moray - 7.45
13. Falkirk - 7.42
14. City of Edinburgh - 7.41
15. Dumfries and Galloway - 7.40
16. West Lothian - 7.40
17. East Lothian - 7.39
18. Aberdeen City - 7.37
19. Perth and Kinross - 7.36
20. East Renfrewshire - 7.32
21. Dundee City - 7.30
22. Inverclyde - 7.27
23. Fife - 7.18
24. South Ayrshire - 7.18
25. Clackmannanshire - 7.17
26. Renfrewshire - 7.16
27. South Lanarkshire - 7.16
28. North Lanarkshire - 7.15
29. West Dunbartonshire - 7.15
30. East Ayrshire - 7.12
31. Glasgow City - 7.01
32. North Ayrshire - 6.99

Life satisfaction

1. Shetland Islands - 8.12
2. Na h-Eileanan Siar - 8.10
3. Orkney Islands - 8.06
4. Aberdeenshire - 7.88
5. Highland - 7.85
6. Argyll and Bute - 7.74
7. Aberdeen City - 7.68
8. East Dunbartonshire - 7.67
9. Fife - 7.66
10. Stirling - 7.64
11. Midlothian - 7.62
12. Scottish Borders - 7.62
13. Angus- 7.60
14. Falkirk - 7.59
15. Dumfries and Galloway - 7.58
16. Moray - 7.58
17. West Lothian - 7.58
18. Dundee City - 7.57
19. East Lothian - 7.50
20. East Renfrewshire - 7.50
21. City of Edinburgh - 7.46
22. Inverclyde - 7.43
23. South Lanarkshire - 7.42
24. Clackmannanshire - 7.41
25. North Lanarkshire - 7.41
26. Renfrewshire - 7.41
27. Perth and Kinross - 7.39
28. South Ayrshire - 7.36
29. East Ayrshire - 7.35
30. West Dunbartonshire - 7.30
31. Glasgow City - 7.19
32. North Ayrshire - 7.16

Anxiety

1. South Ayrshire - 3.59
2. City of Edinburgh - 3.43
3. Renfrewshire - 3.35
4. Glasgow City - 3.32
5. North Ayrshire - 3.32
6. Clackmannanshire - 3.31
7. East Ayrshire - 3.30
8. Inverclyde - 3.29
9. North Lanarkshire - 3.29
10. Falkirk - 3.23
11. East Lothian - 3.12
12. South Lanarkshire - 3.11
13. East Renfrewshire - 3.09
14. Stirling - 3.05
15. Perth and Kinross - 3.04
16. Aberdeen City - 3.01
17. West Dunbartonshire - 3.01
18. West Lothian - 2.96
19. East Dunbartonshire - 2.84
20. Argyll and Bute - 2.83
21. Fife - 2.83
22. Scottish Borders - 2.79
23. Midlothian - 2.78
24. Dundee City - 2.76
25. Moray - 2.75
26. Angus - 2.67
27. Dumfries and Galloway - 2.67
28. Aberdeenshire - 2.60
29. Highland - 2.59
30. Orkney Islands - 2.59
31. Na h-Eileanan Siar - 2.47
32. Shetland Islands - 2.33

Feeling that the things done in life are worthwhile

1. Shetland Islands - 8.29
2. Na h-Eileanan Siar - 8.25
3. Orkney Islands - 8.01
4. Highland - 7.98
5. Argyll and Bute - 7.95
6. Moray - 7.95
7. Aberdeenshire - 7.93
8. East Dunbartonshire - 7.89
9. Midlothian - 7.89
10. West Lothian - 7.83
11. Fife - 7.82
12. Dumfries and Galloway - 7.81
13. Falkirk - 7.78
14. Scottish Borders - 7.78
15. East Renfrewshire - 7.73
16. Stirling - 7.71
17. East Lothian - 7.69
18. City of Edinburgh - 7.68
19. Perth and Kinross - 7.67
20. Angus - 7.66
21. Aberdeen City - 7.65
22. North Lanarkshire - 7.61
23. Inverclyde - 7.59
24. West Dunbartonshire - 7.58
25. South Ayrshire - 7.55
26. South Lanarkshire - 7.55
27. Dundee City - 7.54
28. East Ayrshire - 7.54
29. Renfrewshire - 7.54
30. Clackmannanshire - 7.51
31. North Ayrshire - 7.45
32. Glasgow City - 7.37

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