The number of households in Edinburgh and nearby areas is forecast to grow by more than a quarter over the next 25 years.

The largest increase in Scottish households will be Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian as the population increases.

Midlothian will see the largest rise at 36%, while Edinburgh and East Lothian will each rise by 26%.

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) published new statistics on Wednesday.

Across Scotland, the number of households will rise by 317,000 between 2016 and 2041.

Four council areas - the Western Isles, Argyll and Bute, Inverclyde and North Ayrshire - are all predicted to see a drop in households.

Anne Slater, acting chief executive at NRS, said: "The figures published today by National Records of Scotland show a projected 317,000 extra households in Scotland in 2041 compared to 2016.

"This is partly because Scotland's population is projected to increase in this period, but also because of our ageing population.

"Older people are more likely to live alone than younger people, and as more people live alone or in smaller households, the number of households will rise at a faster rate than the population."