Whether you live and work here or are just visiting, making sure you feel safe and welcome is very important to us. After all, there's a reason we have such a great reputation for being warm and friendly to everyone!
Scotland is famous throughout the world for its incredible warmth and unbeatable hospitality. Whether it’s the many thousands who choose to live here permanently or the more than 16.7 million visitors who travel to Scotland every year, everyone speaks of the genuine friendliness of the Scottish people.
An accepting and inclusive nation
Although we certainly have a strong national identity, this doesn’t stop us from embracing new cultures and new people. More than 170 languages are spoken in Scotland; from Punjabi to Polish, Cantonese to Gaelic, these languages reflect a modern and inclusive Scotland. After all, we’re a rich and diverse country which sees many different cultures from across the world living in harmony together.
Scottish people hold equality, tolerance and social justice in high esteem and we’re constantly striving to create a society that is free from prejudice, inequality and racism. Creating a fairer and more equal society is a priority for us and we remain committed to working to remove the barriers which prevent disabled people from maximising their potential.
We pride ourselves on continuing to advance equality for LGBTQI+ people, and promoting, protecting and realising the rights of every LGBTQI+ person in Scotland. We are also actively working to tackle gender inequality and we’re proud of the fact that we have a narrower gender pay gap than the UK as a whole.
The diversity of our communities continues to grow. Nearly 13% of people in Scotland identify as being from a minority ethnic background, up from 8.2% in 2011.
For Scots, there’s really nothing more important than coming together and having a good time. We believe that no matter where you’re from, or why you came, you should be treated fairly and given every opportunity to succeed.
Scotland is a welcoming nation with a strong commitment to supporting those forced to flee their own country. Since the war against Ukraine began over 28,000 people sponsored by an individual in Scotland or the Scottish Government have arrived in the UK. This is over twice as many per capita than any other part of the UK.
Safety in Scotland
Scotland is a warm and safe place for you and your family to live or visit. Our dedicated police force work within communities to tackle crime and keep people safe.
Our government is also committed to keeping Scotland safe. Crime recorded by the police has fallen by 40% since 2006/07 and is at one of the lowest levels in over 40 years.
If you find yourself in an emergency situation at any time while in Scotland, dial 999 from any phone to get emergency help. This free service connects you to ambulances, fire and rescue, coastguard and the police.
To report a crime dial 101.
Find out more on keeping safe in Scotland (scotland.police.uk)
Faith and belief
Scotland is proud to be a multi-faith and multi-cultural society – it’s part of what makes us such a vibrant and balanced country.
We welcome people of all backgrounds, faiths and beliefs, and we support people to follow their way of life with respect. It is a place where people can follow their traditions freely and flourish in resilient communities.
Scotland is historically a Christian country with Christmas and Easter being celebrated widely and used as the basis for school holiday timings. There is also a large Islamic population with mosques and Islamic Centres across Scotland. The largest of these is the Glasgow Central Mosque which opened in 1984.
While Christianity and Islam are the largest faiths, there are many other faiths and beliefs in Scotland. There have been communities of Sikhs in Scotland for over a century with gurdwaras in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Irvine. Glasgow is home to the first purpose-built Sikh temple in Scotland with a prayer room which holds up to 1000 people.
There have been small Jewish communities throughout Scotland for over 200 years. The first purpose-built synagogue opened in Garnethill, Glasgow in 1879.
Hindus make up a small minority in Scotland of around 5600. Major temples include the Hindu Temple of Scotland in Glasgow and the Edinburgh Hindu Mandir & Cultural Centre, although there are smaller communities across the country.
Scotland is also home to the largest Buddhist temple in Western Europe, as part of the Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery in Dumfries and Galloway, and has over 7000 people following the religion.
Scotland's Humanist community also play an important role in the diversity of our country. Humanist weddings have been legally recognised as marriages in Scotland since 2005, and since 2015 Humanist weddings have been the most popular form of marriage in Scotland.
Paganism is now the fourth largest faith and belief community in Scotland, as the numbers of Pagans has increased significantly since the last census in 2011.
Scotland is an extremely proud nation, and our traditions are steeped in thousands of years of history and heritage - many of which still play a vibrant part in our culture today. Alongside, we have welcomed cultural traditions and ideas from all corners of the globe and share and enjoy each other’s cultures with festivals and events throughout the year. This means that whatever kind of event you’re looking for, chances are you’ll find it here!
You can find further details of Scotland’s faith and belief communities data from the 2022 census (scotlandscensus.gov.uk)
Scotland supports the important interfaith engagement work that takes place and promotes interfaith dialogue to strengthen and enhance connections across communities, helping to lower barriers, eliminate fear and increase understanding. People of all faiths and none, must be supported to follow their way of life without fear of discrimination.
The Scottish Government worked in partnership with Faith and Belief stakeholders to produce a Faith and Belief Engagement Strategy in 2023 which aims to have regular and constructive dialogue between faith and belief communities and government, building relationships based on trust and respect. Scotland also has incredible organisations like Interfaith Scotland (interfaithscotland.org) - who are dedicated to ensuring good relations between the diverse faith and belief communities of Scotland.