Scotland’s average first-time buyer was 32 years old in 2024, a year younger than the UK average of 33, but two years older than a decade earlier, according to Halifax and Bank of Scotland figures reported by STV News, Insider and The Independent.
There is no official Scottish Government, Registers of Scotland or ONS series for the average age of first-time buyers in Scotland. Lender “averages” are also rarely labelled as mean or median, so readings from different banks should not be treated as one continuous series.
Other snapshots find similar figures. UK Finance data cited in the Scottish Government’s First Home Fund evaluation put Scotland’s mean first-time buyer age at 31.0.
UK-wide, UK Finance reported in May 2025 that assisted first-time buyers averaged just over 30 in 2024, while unassisted buyers averaged over 32.
Sources
- https://news.stv.tv/scotland/first-time-buyers-make-up-more-than-half-of-purchases-with-mortgage
- https://www.insider.co.uk/news/first-time-buyer-numbers-up-34677264
- https://www.the-independent.com/money/first-time-house-buying-where-mortgages-b2698193.html
- https://www.gov.scot/publications/first-home-fund-evaluation-synthesis-quantitative-qualitative-analysis/pages/2/
- https://www.skiptongroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/skipton-group-home-affordability-index-march-2026.pdf
- https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/news-and-insight/press-release/uk-finance-data-shows-how-family-support-shapes-homeownership
- https://www.tsb.co.uk/news-releases/over-9-in-10-of-first-time-buyers-negotiated-on-the-property-purchase-price.html