ABERDEEN South is the area of Scotland that is set to go cashless the quickest, with a 36% decline in ATMs between 2018 and 2022.
Online trading platform CMC Markets has looked at House of Commons data relating to the number of ATM closures across the UK. They then compared this with population figures to find the number of ATMs per 10,000 people across different parliamentary constituencies in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
The data found that Aberdeen South has seen the biggest switch to a cashless approach in Scotland, with a 36% reduction in ATMs in the region between 2018 and 2022 – which works out to 36 ATM closures overall.
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine was found to have the second highest rate of ATM closures with 30.8% (20) of its ATMs having closed since 2018, while Edinburgh South West was third highest, with a closure rate of 29.9% (32).
The average rate of ATM closures was found to be 18.3% between 2018 and 2022 across all areas of Scotland.
West Dunbartonshire was found to have the lowest rate of ATM closures since 2018, with a 4.1% reduction in ATMs, equating to just five closures overall.
When looking across the rest of the UK, Cheadle in Northwest England that was found to have the highest rate of closures, at an astonishing 44.9% of ATMs closing since 2018.
Scotland ATM Closures 2018-2022
| # | Scottish Parliamentary Constituencies | Population | No. of ATMS per 10,000 residents (Sept 2022) | Change in ATMs (Since July 2018) | % Change in ATMs (Since July 2018) |
| 1. | Aberdeen South | 95,881 | 6.7 | -36 | – 36.0% |
| 2. | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | 97,061 | 4.6 | -20 | -30.8% |
| 3. | Edinburgh South West | 106,795 | 7.0 | -32 | -29.9% |
| 4. | Gordon | 88,158 | 7.0 | -25 | -28.7% |
| 5. | Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East | 87,914 | 7.2 | -25 | -28.4% |
| 6. | Edinburgh West | 101,542 | 7.8 | -31 | -28.2% |
| 7. | Paisley and Renfrewshire North | 94,454 | 7.8 | -29 | -28.2% |
| 8. | Edinburgh East | 110,757 | 8.8 | -37 | -27.6% |
| 9. | Edinburgh South | 92,634 | 5.5 | -18 | -26.1% |
| 10. | Glasgow Central | 112,062 | 23.2 | -90 | -25.7% |
| 11. | Glasgow North West | 87,914 | 8.2 | -23 | -24.2% |
| 12. | Edinburgh North and Leith | 115,892 | 11.7 | -43 | -24.0% |
| 13. | Midlothian | 112,388 | 5.8 | -19 | -22.6% |
| 14. | Argyll and Bute | 85,430 | 8.4 | -21 | -22.6% |
| 15. | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | 93,991 | 2.2 | -6 | -22.2% |
| 16. | ……. |