Census 2022 – Output Areas

Output Areas (OAs) are the key geography for dissemination of small area statistics from the Census. OAs are large enough for Census statistics to be released without infringing confidentiality. They are designed to have relatively small numbers of households (in the range of 25 to 89) and population (>=60), while nesting within Council areas. They also act as the basic “building-blocks” for the creation of other geographies such as Data Zones. There are 46,363 Census 2022 OAs in Scotland.