Council area · Scotland
City of Edinburgh
Discover the contrast between Edinburgh’s medieval closes and wynds and its planned Georgian New Town.
Quick facts
- Type of place
- Council area
- Nation
- Scotland
- Official identifier
- gss:S12000036
- Part of
- Scotland (Nation)
Overview
The City of Edinburgh is a council area in Scotland. Its historic centre brings together the medieval Old Town and the Georgian New Town, recognised together by UNESCO in 1995. This World Heritage Site occupies part of the city; it is not the boundary of the whole council area.
City of Edinburgh is a council area in Scotland.
Population and demographics
- Land area
- 263.39 km²
-
Figures for . NRS mid-2025 administrative areas; land area from ONS SAM through 31 December 2024.
National Records of Scotland · nrs-mid-2025 · Table 4!E10 (binary spreadsheet decimal rounded to 6 dp). Released 14 July 2026.
Open Government Licence v3.0 · Source: National Records of Scotland. Crown copyright; Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Population
- 531,370 people
-
Figures for . NRS mid-2025 administrative areas; land area from ONS SAM through 31 December 2024.
National Records of Scotland · nrs-mid-2025 · Table 1!E12. Released 14 July 2026.
Open Government Licence v3.0 · Source: National Records of Scotland. Crown copyright; Open Government Licence v3.0.
Population density: 2,017.4 people per km²
Calculated from the population and land area for 30 June 2025, using figures from the same release and covering the same boundaries.
Two approaches to building a city
The Old Town retains narrow passages known as closes and wynds. The New Town, designed in 1767, presents a different approach through its Georgian planning and architecture. UNESCO recognised both the contrast between the two and their influence on urban planning. Edinburgh’s hills and valleys were shaped by volcanic activity and ice sheets. Within the World Heritage Site are Edinburgh Castle, Gladstone’s Land and the Georgian House. The city was also home to Adam Smith, David Hume, Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, adding another strand to the history of its buildings and streets.