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Aberdeen council debt
Unitary authority, Scotland. Latest figures: Jun 2026.
Total debt
£1.62bn
£1,623,377,000
Debt per person
£7,053
230,180 residents
Net debt
£1.58bn
after £39.2m of investments
Change in a year
+5.1%
+£77.8m since Mar 2025
Debt to budget
3.0×
times net current spending, 2024-25
Local economy
£56,886
GDP per person; debt is 12.4% of the area's £13.1bn GDP
Debt cost
£453
per person: £105m of interest and repayment in 2024-25 (£85.3m interest)
Aberdeen has the 3rd highest debt per person of 197 single-tier councils in the UK (Jun 2026).
Aberdeen debt over time
Outstanding borrowing at each date, Mar 2010 to Jun 2026.
Who Aberdeen borrows from
| Lender | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Public Works Loan Board (PWLB)the government's lending facility for councils, run by the UK Debt Management Office; most council borrowing comes from it | £829m | 51% |
| Other councilsloans from other local authorities, usually short term | £340m | 21% |
| Bonds and stock issuesbonds and other securities the council has issued to investors | £300m | 18% |
| Pension funds, insurers and other financial institutionslenders that are financial institutions but not banks: pension funds, insurance companies, investment funds, the Municipal Bonds Agency | £91.2m | 6% |
| Other sourcesborrowing the council did not assign to any of the groups above | £38.9m | 2% |
| Banksloans from UK banks, including LOBO loans (lender option, borrower option) | £15.0m | 1% |
| Public corporationsloans from publicly owned corporations | £5.0m | 0% |
| Householdsmoney lent by individuals, for example community municipal investments | £3.9m | 0% |
Outstanding loans by type of lender as reported by the council to MHCLG, short and long term together, as at Jun 2026. The return groups lenders by sector, not by name.
Aberdeen debt by year
| Date | Debt | Investments | Net debt | Per person | Population | Debt cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | £1.62bn | £39.2m | £1.58bn | £7,053 | 230,180 | £105m |
| Mar 2026 | £1.60bn | £35.5m | £1.56bn | £6,934 | 230,180 | – |
| Dec 2025 | £1.61bn | £110m | £1.50bn | £6,994 | 230,180 | £105m |
| Sep 2025 | £1.51bn | £54.3m | £1.45bn | £6,553 | 230,180 | £105m |
| Jun 2025 | £1.50bn | £72.9m | £1.43bn | £6,491 | 231,320 | £105m |
| Mar 2025 | £1.52bn | £54.6m | £1.46bn | £6,563 | 231,320 | £105m |
| Dec 2024 | £1.46bn | £77.4m | £1.38bn | £6,319 | 231,320 | £92.6m |
| Sep 2024 | £1.37bn | £55.5m | £1.31bn | £5,911 | 231,320 | £92.6m |
| Jun 2024 | £1.35bn | £59.4m | £1.29bn | £5,854 | 230,150 | £92.6m |
| Mar 2024 | £1.38bn | £68.4m | £1.31bn | £6,004 | 230,150 | £92.6m |
| Dec 2023 | £1.28bn | £76.7m | £1.21bn | £5,583 | 230,150 | £67.7m |
| Sep 2023 | £1.20bn | £82.6m | £1.12bn | £5,209 | 230,150 | £67.7m |
| Jun 2023 | £1.19bn | £78.4m | £1.12bn | £5,328 | 224,250 | £67.7m |
| Mar 2023 | £1.22bn | £83.8m | £1.14bn | £5,449 | 224,250 | £67.7m |
| Dec 2022 | £1.15bn | £82.8m | £1.07bn | £5,150 | 224,250 | £65.1m |
| Sep 2022 | £1.11bn | £105m | £1.00bn | £4,933 | 224,250 | £65.1m |
| Jun 2022 | £1.11bn | £126m | £983m | £5,027 | 220,630 | £65.1m |
| Mar 2022 | £1.14bn | £118m | £1.02bn | £5,145 | 220,630 | £65.1m |
| Dec 2021 | £1.08bn | £101m | £975m | £4,878 | 220,630 | – |
| Sep 2021 | £1.07bn | £128m | £943m | £4,853 | 220,630 | – |
| Jun 2021 | £1.06bn | £98.6m | £959m | £4,750 | 222,710 | – |
| Mar 2021 | £1.09bn | £129m | £966m | £4,916 | 222,710 | – |
| Dec 2020 | £1.07bn | £117m | £953m | £4,803 | 222,710 | – |
| Sep 2020 | £1.06bn | £170m | £886m | £4,740 | 222,710 | – |
| Jun 2020 | £1.11bn | £145m | £965m | £4,980 | 222,760 | – |
| Mar 2020 | £1.11bn | £136m | £975m | £4,991 | 222,760 | – |
| Mar 2019 | £984m | £106m | £879m | £4,430 | 222,170 | – |
| Mar 2018 | £878m | £144m | £734m | £3,921 | 223,890 | – |
| Mar 2017 | £910m | £317m | £593m | £4,041 | 225,340 | – |
| Mar 2016 | £555m | £54.6m | £501m | £2,449 | 226,680 | – |
| Mar 2015 | £542m | £75.1m | £467m | £2,396 | 226,170 | – |
| Mar 2014 | £536m | £43.7m | £492m | £2,380 | 225,260 | – |
| Mar 2013 | £565m | £54.0m | £511m | £2,524 | 224,040 | – |
| Mar 2012 | £582m | £47.1m | £535m | £2,617 | 222,460 | – |
| Mar 2011 | £561m | £24.8m | £537m | £2,555 | 219,730 | – |
| Mar 2010 | £503m | £8.4m | £494m | £2,316 | 217,020 | – |
Similar councils
| Council | Debt | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| West Dunbartonshire | £858m | £9,718 |
| Warrington | £1.55bn | £7,189 |
| Aberdeen | £1.62bn | £7,053 |
| Barking & Dagenham | £1.59bn | £6,660 |
| Highland | £1.43bn | £6,028 |
| Perthshire & Kinross | £842m | £5,437 |
Single-tier councils closest in debt per person, Jun 2026.