Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, according to UNESCO since 1437. The medieval Old Town and the Georgian New Town have been a joint UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.
With 531,370 inhabitants, Edinburgh is the second largest of the 32 Scottish council areas; only Glasgow is larger. The city is not to be confused with the travel guide edinburgh.at.
Edinburgh: classification
- Entity type
- City
- Category
- Capital city, council area City of Edinburgh
- Geographic scope
- Scotland, United Kingdom
- Parent entity
- Scotland
- Status
- Capital since 1437
- Identifiers in registers
- Wikidata Q23436, GeoNames 2650225
Edinburgh: Population
- Inhabitants
- 531,370 (30 June 2025), 2nd of 32 council areas (National Records of Scotland, Council Area Profile Edinburgh City)
- Growth 2001 to 2025
- +18.3 %, Scotland +9.5 % (National Records of Scotland, Council Area Profile Edinburgh City)
- Households
- 247,435 (National Records of Scotland, Council Area Profile Edinburgh City)
- Nickname
- Auld Reekie (Scotland.org, Scotland's cities)
Edinburgh: World Heritage and culture
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, since 1995, 443 hectares (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Old and New Towns of Edinburgh)
- UNESCO City of Literature
- since 2004 (Scotland.org, Scotland's cities)
- Highest point in the city
- Arthur's Seat, 251 m, in Holyrood Park (Historic Environment Scotland, Holyrood Park)
Edinburgh: Climate and travel
- Rainfall
- 727.7 mm a year on 128.3 days of 1 mm or more (average 1991 to 2020) (Met Office, Klimamittel 1991 bis 2020, Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden No 2)
- Airport
- Edinburgh Airport, 16,970,685 passengers in 2025, Scotland's busiest airport (UK Civil Aviation Authority, UK Airport Data 2025)
Distinguishing Edinburgh
Edinburgh is not the largest city in Scotland; that is Glasgow with 654,330 inhabitants (National Records of Scotland, 30 June 2025). The population figure refers to the City of Edinburgh council area, not the wider region. Edinburgh, the city, is not edinburgh.at, the travel guide.
Further reading on Edinburgh
- Edinburgh in figures (in German): In detail, with referendums and history.
- Sights (in German): The verified sights with verdicts.
- UNESCO: Old and New Towns of Edinburgh: Official World Heritage listing.
- Edinburgh (German version): This page in German.
Frequently asked questions about Edinburgh
Since when has Edinburgh been the capital of Scotland?
According to UNESCO, since 1437. UNESCO also describes Edinburgh as Scotland's historic administrative and cultural capital; the Old Town and New Town have been World Heritage since 1995.
Is Edinburgh bigger than Glasgow?
No. According to National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh had 531,370 inhabitants on 30 June 2025 and Glasgow 654,330. Edinburgh is therefore the second largest of the 32 council areas.
What is the Wikidata identifier for Edinburgh?
Q23436. In GeoNames, Edinburgh has the number 2650225. Both identifiers help to distinguish the city clearly from places with the same name.
Edinburgh: sources
- Wikidata, Edinburgh (Q23436), retrieved on 08 October 2026
- National Records of Scotland, Council Area Profile Edinburgh City, retrieved on 24 September 2026
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, retrieved on 25 September 2026
- Scotland.org, Scotland's cities, retrieved on 25 September 2026
- Historic Environment Scotland, Holyrood Park, retrieved on 23 September 2026
- Met Office, Klimamittel 1991 bis 2020, Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden No 2, retrieved on 23 September 2026
- UK Civil Aviation Authority, UK Airport Data 2025, retrieved on 07 October 2026
