However, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) said despite this rise, it "pales by comparison" to the 21% increase experienced by England over the same period.
Director for FMB Scotland, Gordon Nelson, added while the Scottish Government has built over 30,000 'affordable' homes in the last five years, it needs to do more to tackle its housing crisis.
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"These figures demonstrate how far we are from building the number of homes that the country needs to tackle the housing crisis," he said.
"House building output for 2015 is 9,000 units lower than it was in 2007, despite demand for homes soaring. That the number of housing starts in Scotland for the final quarter of 2015 was 12% lower than in 2014 is particularly concerning. In light of this, the Government’s ambition to build 50,000 affordable homes by 2020 may be laudable, but risks losing sight of the wider picture, at a time where there is pressing need for more homes all of tenures.
"Now is the time for the Scottish Government to concentrate on what it can do to facilitate a renaissance in house building."
(LM/CD)
