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Shetland Islands Counts — Shetland Islands, in numbers.Local help →

Shetland Islands, in numbers

Your area

Shetland Islands council area. Every figure carries its own date.

Neighbourhood differences

People aged 65 or over

19.3% to 29%

People aged 65 or over ranged from 19.3% in Shetland North to 29% in North Isles — a gap of 9.7 percentage points.

20 March 2022 · 7 of 7 current wards with comparable figures.

Age helps locate demand for accessible homes, transport and support. Being older does not itself mean someone needs care.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 65 or over · 20 March 2022
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Shetland North19.3%6413,329
Shetland Central19.9%8384,220
Lerwick North and Bressay20.1%6153,058
Shetland South20.9%8353,989
Shetland West21.5%3721,731
Lerwick South23.5%9404,004
North Isles29%7692,654
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

11% to 20.9%

People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11% in Shetland South to 20.9% in North Isles — a gap of 9.9 percentage points.

20 March 2022 · 7 of 7 current wards with comparable figures.

Formal qualifications are only one part of someone's skills. Training decisions also need current vacancies, employment and residents' experience.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 16+ with no qualifications · 20 March 2022
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Shetland South11%3553,219
Shetland Central11.8%3963,367
Shetland West12.7%1771,395
Shetland North14.8%3932,648
Lerwick South15.1%5003,316
Lerwick North and Bressay16.4%4362,654
North Isles20.9%4652,221
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →

People aged 16+ with a degree or higher

26.5% to 34.4%

People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 26.5% in North Isles to 34.4% in Shetland South — a gap of 7.9 percentage points.

20 March 2022 · 7 of 7 current wards with comparable figures.

Qualifications show local skills, not whether people have secure jobs or use those skills at work. Scotland uses its own qualification categories.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 16+ with a degree or higher · 20 March 2022
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
North Isles26.5%5882,221
Shetland North26.8%7102,648
Lerwick South27.7%9183,316
Lerwick North and Bressay29%7692,654
Shetland Central31.1%1,0463,367
Shetland West31.2%4351,395
Shetland South34.4%1,1083,219
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →
North IslesShetland NorthLerwick North and BressayLerwick SouthShetland CentralShetland SouthShetland West
7 mapped electoral wards · May 2026. The same wards are available in the named list below. These are council boundaries, not police neighbourhoods.

Choose a ward

These are electoral wards or the explicitly labelled statistical equivalents. They do not necessarily match villages, parishes or police neighbourhoods.