THE number of homes which began construction in Scotland is at its lowest level in more than a decade, new figures show.
Statistics released on Tuesday show 15,450 homes were started last year, the lowest since 14,635 in 2013.
Housebuilding in 2025 continued to struggle, with the number of completions falling by around 10% from 19,687 in 2024 to 17,794 last year – the worst since 2020, when the pandemic shut down many construction projects.
But affordable housing improved last year, compared to the previous 12 months.
In the 2025-26 financial year, 6787 affordable homes were approved, up from a low of 4775 the year before, which was the lowest in more than a decade.
The number of homes which began construction sat at 7421 last year, compared to 5424 the previous year, which was the lowest since 2011-12.
The number of completions, however, fell from 7443 to 6832.
A charity has warned that the Scottish Government is "falling further behind" on its pledge to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.
Shelter Scotland pressed for "urgent progress" on social home building, particularly as the latest figures show a record number of children in Scotland living in temporary accommodation.
Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae, interim director at Shelter Scotland said: “We are simply not building enough social homes or investing enough, while record numbers of children wake up without a home. It is an outrage.
"Decades of underinvestment and poor political choices have led us here. We can't promise or blame our way out of the housing emergency – we have to build our way out."
He added: “Homelessness is not inevitable – ending it means building more social homes, more quickly. Without that, families will remain trapped in limbo. That means families of five, living in one hotel room for two months, with nowhere to cook or for children to play.
"While the longer-term stats show some signs of recovery, very slow progress over the last three months can’t be ignored."
Llewellyn-MacRae said that social house building is "simply too slow to tackle the housing emergency".
He continued: “To turn the tide, the Scottish Government must do three things: Unlock exceptional funding and ambition in December’s Budget to match the scale of the housing emergency; ensure delivering social homes to tackle homelessness is at the heart of the new More Homes Scotland agency; and introduce immediate measures to support the areas hit hardest.
"Without this, they are accepting homelessness will rise and more children will be stuck in temporary accommodation.”
Meanwhile, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) said that at the current rate, the Scottish Government will not meet its affordable homes target until 2036.
SFHA chief executive Richard Meade said: “Today’s figures show the lowest number of social homes built in nearly two decades, while a record 10,715 children in Scotland are living in temporary accommodation, double the number a decade ago.
"Scotland is a long way away from delivering the safe, warm and affordable homes the country needs."
Meade continued: "Not every lever sits with ministers, but the key ones do: Long-term funding and investment in Scotland's capacity to build, especially in rural and island communities.
“Scotland needs 15,693 social and affordable homes a year to meet housing need, and we will measure progress against that number until Scotland’s housing emergency is over.”
Housing Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Scotland continues to lead the rest of the UK in relative housebuilding with 35 homes per 10,000 population delivered in 2024–25, the highest rate in the UK.
“We have also delivered 45% more affordable homes than England and 69% more than Wales, per head of population.
“However, we know there is more to do – that is why we are providing record investment of up to £4.9 billion over the next four years to support delivery of around 36,000 affordable homes – providing a warm, safe home for up to 24,000 children.
“We are determined to help drive improvements in the private sector, including through our work with the Scottish National Investment Bank.
“Our new agency More Homes Scotland will also bring simplicity, scale and an all-tenure approach to supporting housebuilding – enhancing delivery and maximising savings.”
