The City of Edinburgh Council has released its annual document, ‘Edinburgh by numbers’, outlining the statistics relating to society in Edinburgh throughout 2016.
Gavin Barrie, convener of the Council’s Economic Development Committee, referred to the document as “an essential resource for anyone looking to invest in the city or simply looking for key facts and figures about the capital.”
The data presented in the document would be used when “setting policy in a number of areas”, Barrie said.
Significant statistics were evident in various aspects of the report, one of which regarding Edinburgh’s population growth stretching beyond 500,000 “for the first time in its history” during the year 2016.
Other figures presented were that over 1 million passengers left from Edinburgh Airport for Spain and that footfall on Princes Street on an average day in August was 45,200.
A more striking piece of data was demonstrated in that Edinburgh has the highest number of Michelin awarded restaurants of any major city in the UK.
Economically, Edinburgh has had “the lowest unemployment [figure] of any major UK city in each of the last ten calendar years”. The percentage of Edinburgh’s workforce with a degree level qualification or equivalent is presented as higher than any other major UK city at 55%.
When remarking on the economic figures, Barrie stated: “Edinburgh is a vibrant capital city with a diverse economy, an increasing population and strong investment potential.”
At 118.8, the Scottish capital has the second highest number of students in higher education per 1,000 citizens of any UK city. The London equivalent is 41.2 and that of Sheffield is 103.2.
Miles Mann, a Philosophy and Theology student in 1st year who grew up in Sheffield told The Student:“It depends on the area that you are in, but it does seem like there are more [students] around in Edinburgh.”
Environmentally, Edinburgh boasts high scores when it comes to recycling, as 42.3 per cent of household waste was recycled in March 2016 compared to a mere 26.0 per cent in Glasgow.
However, at 4.9, the city had one of the highest rates of carbon dioxide emissions per capita between 2013 and 2015 compared to 3.8 and 4.1 in Bristol and Birmingham respectively.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Edinburgh draws in more overseas visitors per year than any other UK city apart from London. Between 2014 and 2016 the annual average number of visitors the Scottish capital was 1,605,900 which is over triple its population.
The equivalent for Glasgow is 648,200. Kye Perry, a music technology student in second year who grew up in Glasgow, told The Student that he “thinks that the difference in levels of tourism in Edinburgh and Glasgow are very noticeable.”
The tourist sights in Glasgow are more spread out with “modern areas right beside the city chambers”, Perry continued, also stating that Glasgow is more “ground in industry” and may therefore attract a different type of visitors.
Finally, on a brighter note, Barrie also stated “from May to July 2017 there was even 10% more sunshine than the same time in the previous year!”
Image: barnyz