The first results of the 2021 England and Wales census are to be released this week, raising the question of when Scots will see their own.

May 31 was the last day you could return your Census in Scotland after the deadline was pushed back twice due to the pandemic and a lack of participation.

England and Wales will be able to see the impact of Covid-19 through population estimates by council area, broken down by age and sex in the first results published on Tuesday, May 28 at 11 am. 

The 1921 census for England and Wales was also released earlier this year after the records were locked in vaults for 100 years. 

Here's when Scots can expect the results from the most recent census and be able to delve into the lives of their ancestors from a century ago. 

When will the 2022 Scottish census be released?

National Records of Scotland, which runs the census, delayed the data collection by one year due to the pandemic. 

The deadline, which was originally May 1, was later pushed to May 31 because too few people had filled it in.

The Census Coverage Survey is currently underway which is a planned part of the programme, covering a smaller number of Scottish households.

The first results of the census are expected from 2023 onwards. 

You will be able to access the census in various forms via the Scottish Census website including a summary form with key statistics on Scotland's population, a flexible census table builder and bulk downloads of census data.

When will the 1921 Scottish census be released?

Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, census records are closed for 100 years.

Since 1861, the Scottish census has been the responsibility of the Registrar General for Scotland.

The National Records of Scotland hold records of the census of Scotland's population for 1841 and every tenth year afterwards. 

This excludes 1941 due to the Second World War since there was no census taken.

You can now view the open census records from 1841 to 1911 via the National Records of Scotland website.

The data from the 1921 Scottish census is expected very soon, in the latter half of 2022.

Index images of the 1921 Scottish Census will be released on the ScotlandsPeople website and in the ScotlandsPeople Centre.

Keep up to date on the National Records of Scotland's progress via its digital channels.