New research has revealed the number of households in Scotland has continued to rise.

Figures published by National Records of Scotland (NRS) states that the amount of Scottish households increased to 2.45 million in 2016.

Around 3% of dwellings (79,100) were empty and a further 1% (26,100) were second homes.

The figures follow a decade-long trend of household growth in Scotland, with numbers increasing by around 157,000 (7%).

Council areas have also experienced household growth over the last 10 years, with the greatest relative increases occurring in Orkney Islands and Highland.

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NRS said the increase is partly due to the rising population, but also because people are increasingly living alone, or with fewer other people. Households consisting of only one person are now the most common type in Scotland, while over a third are single person households. Nearly 900,000 people are living alone, according to the 2015 Scottish Household Survey.

Tim Ellis, Chief Executive of NRS, said: "The average household in Scotland has been getting smaller for several decades. This is partly due to changes in the way we live, and partly because the number of older people in the population has been rising.

"Older people are more likely to live alone, so as the number of older people has increased, the average size of households has decreased.

"However, the fall in household sizes appears to have slowed since the economic downturn in 2007. This may be due to factors such as decreased house building and more young adults living with their parents instead of forming their own households."

(LM/JP)