The City of Edinburgh is a council area on the south shore of the Firth of Forth and the capital of Scotland. It covers 263 km2 (102 sq mi) and had a population of 514,543 at the 2022 census, second in Scotland only to Glasgow. The council meets at the City Chambers on the High Street.
The council area is more than the city. West of the built-up edge it takes in the burgh of Queensferry and a ring of Lothian villages — Balerno, Currie, Kirkliston, Ratho, Dalmeny and Cramond — along with farmland running to the River Almond and the Pentland Hills.
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Status | Council area and city; capital of Scotland |
| Area | 102 sq mi (263 km2) |
| Population (2022) | 514,543 |
| Population (2011) | 476,626 |
| Density | 1,956 people per km2 |
| Rank in Scotland | 2nd by population |
| Administrative centre | Edinburgh (City Chambers) |
| Council | City of Edinburgh Council |
| Postcode area | EH |
Towns and Villages in Edinburgh
Twenty-one separate towns and villages lie inside the council area, outside the continuous built-up edge of the city. Queensferry, on the Forth beneath the three bridges, is the largest; it was a royal burgh in its own right until 1975.
- Almondhill
- Balerno
- Cammo
- Cramond
- Cramond Bridge
- Currie
- Dalmeny
- Gogar
- Hermiston
- Ingliston
- Juniper Green
- Kirkliston
- Malleny Mills
- Newbridge
- Newcraighall
- Port Edgar
- Queensferry
- Ratho
- Ratho Station
- Riccarton
- Turnhouse
Within the city itself, 106 named districts and neighbourhoods are in common use. Most began as villages, estates or burghs that the city absorbed: Leith was a separate burgh until 1920, Portobello until 1896, and Corstorphine, Colinton, Duddingston and Cramond were all rural villages before the suburbs reached them.
- Abbeyhill
- Alnwickhill
- Baberton
- Barnton
- Blackford
- Blackhall
- Blinkbonny
- Bonaly
- Bonnington
- Broughton
- Brunstane
- Bruntsfield
- Bughtlin
- Burdiehouse
- Calton
- Canongate
- Canonmills
- Carrick Knowe
- Churchhill
- Clermiston
- Colinton
- Colinton Mains
- Comely Bank
- Comiston
- Corstorphine
- Craigentinny
- Craigleith
- Craiglockhart
- Craigmillar
- Dalry
- Davidsons Mains
- Dean
- Dreghorn
- Drumbrae
- Drylaw
- Duddingston
- East Craigs
- East Pilton
- Fairmilehead
- Fountainbridge
- Gilmerton
- Gorgie
- Gracemount
- Granton
- Greenbank
- Greenside
- Inverleith
- Joppa
- Joppa Pans
- Kaimes
- Kingsknowe
- Leith
- Liberton
- Lochend
- Longstone
- Marchmont
- Meadowbank
- Merchiston
- Moredun
- Morningside
- Mortonhall
- Muirhouse
- Murrayfield
- Nether Liberton
- New Town
- Newhaven
- Newington
- Niddrie
- North Leith
- Northfield
- Old Town
- Oxgangs
- Piershill
- Pilrig
- Portobello
- Prestonfield
- Ravelston
- Restalrig
- Roseburn
- Saughton
- Saughtonhall
- Sciennes
- Seafield
- Sighthill
- Silverknowes
- Slateford
- South Gyle
- South Leith
- South Side
- Southhouse
- St Leonard's
- Stenhouse
- Stockbridge
- The Braids
- The Grange
- The Gyle
- The Inch
- Tollcross
- Trinity
- Wardie
- Warriston
- West Craigs
- West End
- West Pilton
- Willowbrae
- Woodhall
Geography
Edinburgh sits on a ridge of volcanic rock between the Firth of Forth and the Pentland Hills. Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano in Holyrood Park, rises to 251 m within a mile of the city centre; Castle Rock, the Calton Hill and Corstorphine Hill are the other high points.
The Water of Leith runs 24 miles from the Pentlands through Balerno, Currie, Colinton and Dean village to the docks at Leith. The River Almond forms much of the western boundary, and the Braid Burn drains the southern suburbs to Portobello.
Midlothian lies to the south, East Lothian to the east and West Lothian to the west. Fife lies across the Forth, reached by the Forth Road Bridge and the Queensferry Crossing.
Demographics
Scotland’s Census 2022 counted 514,543 residents, up 37,917 on 2011 — a rise of 8.0%. Density is about 1,956 people per km2, the second highest in Scotland after Glasgow and Dundee.
Edinburgh has the largest student population in Scotland, with the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, Napier and Queen Margaret universities between them enrolling more than 70,000. That skews the age profile towards the twenties in Marchmont, Newington, Tollcross and Bruntsfield.
Growth since 2011 has been strongest in the west and south-east: Queensferry, the Gyle, Newcraighall and the Shawfair edge have absorbed most of the new housing.
Economy and Local Life
Finance is the largest single sector. The city is the headquarters of the Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group’s Scottish operations, Baillie Gifford, Abrdn and Royal London’s Scottish business, and it holds the second largest fund-management centre in the United Kingdom after London.
Government is the other anchor. The Scottish Parliament sits at Holyrood, the Scottish Government at St Andrew’s House, and the Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary at Parliament House.
Tourism runs on the Old and New Towns, both listed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, and on the August festivals. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world by ticket count. Leith, redeveloped from the 1990s, now carries the Scottish Government’s Victoria Quay offices and the cruise berths at Ocean Terminal.
History
The name comes from Din Eidyn, the fortress of Eidyn, a stronghold of the Gododdin recorded in early Welsh verse. It fell to the Northumbrians in 638 and passed to the kings of Scots in the 900s.
Edinburgh became a royal burgh under David I and was Scotland’s capital in practice from the reign of James III in the 1400s. The Old Town grew as a spine of tenements down the ridge from the castle to Holyrood; overcrowding drove the building of the New Town from 1767 to James Craig’s grid plan.
The Scottish Enlightenment made the city a European centre of medicine, philosophy and law in the 1700s, with David Hume, Adam Smith and Joseph Black all resident. Leith, the port, remained a separate burgh until it was merged into the city in 1920 after a referendum its own voters lost.
Getting There
The A720 City Bypass rings the south of the city and links the M8 to Glasgow, the M9 to Stirling, the M90 over the Queensferry Crossing to Perth, and the A1 south to Berwick and Newcastle.
Waverley station sits in the valley between the Old and New Towns and is the terminus of the East Coast Main Line, about 4 hours 20 minutes from London King’s Cross. Haymarket serves the west end, and Edinburgh Gateway, South Gyle, Slateford and Brunstane serve the suburbs.
Edinburgh Airport lies 8 miles west at Ingliston and is Scotland’s busiest. Trams run from the airport through the city centre to Newhaven, a route completed in June 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Edinburgh?
514,543 in the council area at the 2022 census, up 8.0% on 2011. That makes it Scotland’s second largest council area by population, after Glasgow City.
How many villages are in the City of Edinburgh council area?
Twenty-one towns and villages sit outside the continuous built-up area, including Queensferry, Balerno, Currie, Kirkliston, Ratho and Dalmeny.
Which council covers Edinburgh?
The City of Edinburgh Council, one of Scotland’s 32 unitary authorities. It has been in its present form since 1996.
What postcodes does Edinburgh use?
The EH postcode area, which also extends into Midlothian, East Lothian and West Lothian. City districts run from EH1 in the Old Town to EH17 at Gilmerton, with EH28 to EH30 covering Ratho, Kirkliston and Queensferry.
Is Leith part of Edinburgh?
Yes. Leith was a separate burgh with its own council and docks until it was merged into Edinburgh in 1920.
What is the highest point in Edinburgh?
Within the city, Arthur’s Seat at 251 m. The Pentland Hills on the southern boundary reach higher, at 493 m on Scald Law.