About Tweeddale
Tweeddale is the second largest of the five area partnerships in Scottish Borders, in terms of its land area and its population. The estimated population of Tweeddale was 21,349 in the 2022 Census. Download a map of the Tweeddale area.
The main town in Tweeddale is Peebles, with a 2022 population of 9,117. Other towns and villages in Tweeddale with a population of 500 or more are:
- Innerleithen (3,152)
- West Linton (1,757)
- Cardrona (868)
- Clovenfords (749)
- Walkerburn (712)
Annual population estimates for settlements of over 500 people are recorded by National Records of Scotland.
Population figures for settlements of less than 500 people are collected by the decennial Population Census.
23.4% of the population of Tweeddale (5,004 people) live in settlements of under 500 people.
Villages of less than 500 people that were enumerated by the 2022 Census include:
- Broughton (436)
- Eddleston (398)
- Romannobridge (236)
- Skirling (191)
- Carlops (156)
- Blyth Bridge (145)
Other smaller settlements in Tweeddale were enumerated as part of the wider community.
Population Change
The population of Tweeddale steadily increased between 2011 and 2022 at a rate of 5.5%. This is the biggest growth rate out of the 5 localities.
West Linton, Innerleithen and Peebles all recorded continued expansion.
The only village not to benefit from this population boom was Walkerburn, which shrank by 9% in the same period, and Cardrona, which remained unchanged.
In the smaller settlements, Clovenfords grew by 33%, which will allow the village to be enumerated as a settlement of over 500 people in the Midyear Population Estimates for the first time.
Romannobridge, Broughton and Skirling also recorded large population increases.
There was a 10% drain of people away from the smallest villages, hamlets and farmsteads towards the larger population centres between 2011 and 2022.
There was a 4.1% population decrease in Eddleston during the same period, resulting in the village primary school being mothballed in 2023 - 2024.