Fife is a council area, historic county and lieutenancy area in eastern Scotland, on the peninsula between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth. It covers 1,325 km2 (512 sq mi) and had a population of 371,781 at the 2022 census, the third largest of Scotland’s 32 council areas. The council is based in Glenrothes.
Fife is still widely called the Kingdom of Fife, a usage that goes back to its standing as one of the Pictish kingdoms. Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes hold about a third of the population between them; St Andrews, Cupar and the East Neuk fishing burghs cover the east.
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Status | Council area, historic county and lieutenancy area |
| Area | 512 sq mi (1,325 km2) |
| Population (2022) | 371,781 |
| Population (2011) | 365,198 |
| Density | 281 people per km2 |
| Rank in Scotland | 3rd by population |
| Largest town | Dunfermline (54,990) |
| Administrative centre | Glenrothes |
| Council | Fife Council |
| Postcode areas | KY1–KY16, DD6, FK10 |
Towns and Villages in Fife
Fife has 173 named towns, villages and hamlets. The list runs alphabetically, from Abercrombie in the East Neuk to Wormit on the Tay.
- Abercrombie
- Aberdour
- Anstruther
- Anstruther Easter
- Anstruther Wester
- Arncroach
- Auchterderran
- Auchtermuchty
- Auchtertool
- Baintown
- Baldinnie
- Ballingry
- Balmalcolm
- Balmerino
- Balmullo
- Beleybridge
- Blairhall
- Blebocraigs
- Boarhills
- Bonnybank
- Bottomcraig
- Bow of Fife
- Bowershall
- Bowhill
- Brunton
- Buckhaven
- Burnside
- Burntisland
- Cairneyhill
- Cameron
- Cameron Bridge
- Cardenden
- Carnbee
- Carnock
- Cellardyke
- Ceres
- Chance Inn
- Charlestown
- Charlottetown
- Cluny
- Coaltown of Burnturk
- Coaltown of Wemyss
- Colinsburgh
- Collessie
- Comrie
- Cowdenbeath
- Cowstrandburn
- Craigrothie
- Crail
- Creich
- Crombie
- Crossford
- Crossgates
- Crosshill
- Culross
- Cupar
- Dairsie
- Dalgety Bay
- Denhead
- Donibristle
- Drumeldrie
- Drumoig
- Dunbog
- Dundonald
- Dunfermline
- Dunino
- Dunshalt
- Dysart
- Earlsferry
- East Wemyss
- Elie
- Falkland
- Foodieash
- Fordell
- Freuchie
- Gateside
- Gauldry
- Giffordtown
- Glenrothes
- Gowkhall
- Guardbridge
- Halbeath
- Hazelton Walls
- High Valleyfield
- Hill End
- Hillend
- Inverkeithing
- Kelty
- Kemback
- Kennoway
- Kettlebridge
- Kettlehill
- Kilconquhar
- Kilmany
- Kilrenny
- Kincaple
- Kincardine
- Kinghorn
- Kinglassie
- Kingsbarns
- Kingseat
- Kingskettle
- Kingsmuir
- Kirkcaldy
- Kirkforthar Feus
- Kirkton
- Kirkton of Cults
- Kirkton of Largo
- Ladybank
- Lathones
- Leslie
- Letham
- Leuchars
- Leven
- Limekilns
- Lindores
- Lochgelly
- Lochore
- Logie
- Low Torry
- Low Valleyfield
- Lower Largo
- Lucklawhill
- Lundin Links
- Luthrie
- Markinch
- Methil
- Milton of Balgonie
- Monimail
- Moonzie
- Mount Melville
- Muirhead
- New Mills
- Newbigging
- Newburgh
- Newmills
- Newport-on-Tay
- Newton of Balcormo
- Newton of Falkland
- North Queensferry
- Oakley
- Pattiesmuir
- Peat Inn
- Pettycur
- Pickletillum
- Pitlessie
- Pitscottie
- Pittenweem
- Radernie
- Rathillet
- Rosyth
- Saint Andrews
- Saint Davids
- Saint Monans
- Saline
- Sinclairtown
- Springfield
- St Michaels
- Star
- Steelend
- Strathkinness
- Strathmiglo
- Strathore
- Stravithie
- Tayport
- Thornton
- Torryburn
- Townhill
- Wellwood
- West Wemyss
- Windygates
- Woodside
- Wormit
The ten largest settlements are Dunfermline (54,990), Kirkcaldy (50,370), Glenrothes (38,360), St Andrews (18,410), Rosyth (13,570), Cowdenbeath (12,030), Methil (10,890), Dalgety Bay (9,810), Cupar (9,270) and Leven (8,960).
Geography
Fife is a peninsula, with water on three sides: the Firth of Tay north, the North Sea east and the Firth of Forth south. Only the western boundary is on land, and it is short.
The Lomond Hills rise in the centre to 522 m at West Lomond, the highest point in Fife. North of them the Howe of Fife is level farmland drained by the River Eden, which reaches the sea at Guardbridge. The River Leven runs east from Loch Leven through Markinch and Windygates to Leven.
The East Neuk — the south-east corner — holds a string of small fishing burghs: Elie, St Monans, Pittenweem, Anstruther, Cellardyke, Kilrenny and Crail, all built round harbours facing the Forth.
Perth and Kinross lies to the north-west and Clackmannanshire to the west. Edinburgh and West Lothian lie across the Forth, Dundee across the Tay.
Demographics
Scotland’s Census 2022 recorded 371,781 residents, up 6,583 on 2011. Density is 281 people per km2, but that average hides a sharp split: the south and centre are urban, while the Howe of Fife and the north-east are thinly settled farmland.
Roughly a third of the population lives in Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes. Dunfermline is now the fastest growing and was granted city status in 2022, the first new Scottish city in more than a decade. St Andrews holds about 18,400 people, of whom a large share are University of St Andrews students in term time.
Economy and Local Life
Rosyth is the industrial anchor. The naval dockyard, run by Babcock, assembled the two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers between 2009 and 2017 and remains the largest single employer in west Fife.
Dunfermline has grown into a financial and technology centre, with Sky’s Scottish contact operation and distribution work along the M90. Diageo’s Cameron Bridge distillery near Windygates is the largest grain distillery in Europe. The Mossmorran petrochemical complex, between Cowdenbeath and Auchtertool, produces ethylene for the Grangemouth chain.
St Andrews carries the university, founded in 1413 and the oldest in Scotland, and the golf industry: the Old Course is the home of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and hosts the Open Championship. Farming, especially potatoes, barley and soft fruit, dominates the Howe of Fife; inshore fishing continues at Pittenweem and Anstruther.
History
Fife was a Pictish kingdom, one of seven, and kept a distinct identity through the medieval period. Dunfermline was the seat of Malcolm III and Queen Margaret in the 1000s, and its abbey holds the grave of Robert the Bruce.
St Andrews was the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland from the 900s until the Reformation, and its cathedral, begun in 1160, was the largest church ever built in the country. The university followed in 1413.
Coal shaped modern Fife. Pits ran from Culross in the west through Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly, Kelty and Cardenden to the Frances and Michael collieries on the coast. Longannet, the last deep mine in Scotland, closed in 2002; the power station of the same name at Kincardine closed in 2016. Glenrothes was designated a new town in 1948, originally to house miners for a pit that never worked.
Getting There
The M90 runs north from the Queensferry Crossing through Inverkeithing and Kelty towards Perth. The A92 is the main east-coast route, linking Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and the Tay Road Bridge. The A91 crosses the middle to St Andrews and the A985 follows the Forth shore to Kincardine.
The Fife Circle serves Inverkeithing, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly, Kirkcaldy and Markinch from Edinburgh Waverley. The main line continues to Leuchars — the station for St Andrews, five miles away — and on to Dundee. The Levenmouth branch reopened in June 2024, restoring trains to Cameron Bridge and Leven after 55 years.
Three bridges cross the Forth at Queensferry: the Forth Bridge of 1890, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015; the Forth Road Bridge of 1964, now restricted to buses, taxis and bicycles; and the Queensferry Crossing of 2017, which carries the M90. Edinburgh Airport is about 20 minutes from Inverkeithing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Fife?
371,781 at the 2022 census, up from 365,198 in 2011. Fife is Scotland’s third most populous council area, after Glasgow and Edinburgh.
What is the largest town in Fife?
Dunfermline, with about 54,990 people. It was granted city status in 2022. Kirkcaldy (50,370) and Glenrothes (38,360) follow.
How many towns and villages are in Fife?
173 named settlements, from the East Neuk fishing burghs to the former mining villages of west and central Fife.
Why is Fife called the Kingdom of Fife?
Because it was one of the Pictish kingdoms and kept a separate identity long afterwards. The name has no modern legal meaning but is in everyday local use.
What postcodes does Fife use?
Mostly KY1 to KY16. Newport-on-Tay, Tayport and Wormit use DD6, and Kincardine uses FK10.
Where is St Andrews?
On the east coast of Fife, facing the North Sea, about 13 miles south-east of Dundee. The nearest station is Leuchars, five miles away.