Trends towards an ageing population and more people living alone will place sustained pressure on housing in Scotland and increase the need for an effective health and social care strategy, CIH Scotland has said.

The warning follows the release of 2014-based figures projecting the number and type of households there will be in Scotland by 2039.

Published yesterday by the National Records of Scotland, the new statistics revealed that the number of households in Scotland is projected to continue to increase, rising by 345,000 between 2014 and 2039.

The number of households headed by someone aged 70 or over is projected to increase by 65%, compared to an increase of just 2% for those under 70. Older people are more likely to live alone than younger people, and the number of people aged 70 and over living alone is projected to increase by 60% over the next 25 years, to 150,000 men and 260,000 women.

Household numbers are projected to increase in almost every local authority area over the next 25 years. The largest projected increases are in Midlothian and the City of Edinburgh. Household numbers are projected to fall in just three local authority areas (Inverclyde, Argyll and Bute and Na h-Eileanan Siar).

Commenting on the figures, CIH Scotland executive director, Annie Mauger, said: “These figures confirm once again that the average size of household in Scotland is continuing to fall and is set to reduce from 2.17 in 2014 to 2.01 by 2039. The percentage of Scots living alone is projected to reach 24% by 2039 while the percentage of Scottish households in the age group 75 or older will increase from 13% to 20% over that same period.

“All of these factors will combine to place sustained pressure on housing in Scotland, emphasising once again the critical importance of increasing the supply of homes across all tenures. Trends towards an ageing population and more people living alone also underline what a critical role housing has to play in the Scottish Government’s current policy of integrating health and social care. With that in mind, we are keen to ensure that the housing sector continues to be fully involved in the implementation of that policy.”

Tim Ellis, National Records of Scotland (NRS) chief executive and registrar general, said: “The figures published today by National Records of Scotland show a projected 345,000 extra households in Scotland in 2039 compared to 2014. This is partly because Scotland’s population is projected to increase in this period, but also because of our ageing population.

“Older people are more likely to live alone than younger people, and as more people live alone or in smaller households, the number of households will rise at a faster rate than the population.”