New statistics show an alarming rate in the number of Ayrshire pub closures during the last 15 years. East Ayrshire has lost a staggering 50 per cent of its boozers since 2010, the biggest percentage fall of any council area in Scotland.
South Ayrshire is not far behind. This area boasted 90 pubs in 2010. Now it has only 50, representing a reduction of 44.4 per cent. In North Ayrshire, that part of the region has lost 23.5 per cent of its local pubs.
Study analysis
The study, by sports betting & stats site The Punters Page, analysed Office for National Statistics counts of pubs and bars in 318 councils across Great Britain between 2010 and 2025. East Ayrshire’s pub count fell from 80 in 2010 to 40 in 2025. South Ayrshire ranks second in Scotland, losing 44.4 per cent of its pubs, and Scottish Borders ranks third, losing 40.0 per cent. North Ayrshire’s pub count fell from 80 to 60 between 2010 and 2025, representing a fall of 23.5 per cent.
Affected venues
Across the region punters have been crying into their beers with the loss of pub favourites such as Portmann Hotel (Kilmarnock), Mulligans (Ayr) and the likes of The Old Revels Bar (later known as The Black Rose) in Kilwinning, which closed around 2023. More recently, Kilmarnock favourite Fanny by Gaslight closed three times in the past few years, the most recent closure was just last week. In Irvine, the Kings Arms closed around 2015 and eventually made way for flats. Largs has experienced similar closures. The Waterside (was the Clachan), The Sheiling, Royal Oak have all pulled down the shutters in recent years.
Impact and reaction
James Byrne, Head of Content at The Punters Page, commented on the findings, saying: “The local has long been where people gather to watch the football, the racing and the big fights together, and every closure takes that shared room away from a town or village.
“If your area still has a pub, the best way to keep it is to use it, from match days to quiz nights, as a busy pub is far harder to close than a quiet one. East Ayrshire losing half its pubs in 15 years is a stark reminder of how quickly a community’s social fabric can unravel.”
According to the stats, Scotland has 2,565 pubs and bars, 650 fewer than in 2010 and a fall of 20.2 per cent. Aberdeen, Edinburgh and West Dunbartonshire have the same number of pubs as in 2010, the joint best record in Scotland. The Scottish Beer & Pub Association, the voice of Scottish Brewers and Pubs, has been approached for a response to the findings.
