Data zones are part of the core census geography in Scotland, they are comparable in size to the Lower Super Output Areas used across the rest of the UK. The data zone geography covers the whole of Scotland and nest within local authority boundaries (as they were in 2011).

Data zones are groups of 2011 Census output areas which have populations of around 500 to 1,000 residents.  There are 6,976 2011 Data Zones.