A huge town in the UK has been named the “unluckiest” place to live in the country. Kirkwall, a town on the Scottish island of Orkney, has been crowned with the controversial title in a survey that ranked 121 postcode areas in the UK.
The research carried out by SlotMatrix assessed the lottery wins, council tax increases, average hours of sunshine per day, UK game show winners, and even Google searches for flat tyres. The study revealed that Kirkwall is the unluckiest place to live in the UK, as it received the lowest score of 28.5 out of 100. The Orkney town gets only three hours and 10 minutes of sunshine on average per day, which is 52 minutes less than the UK national average of four hours and two minutes per day. Residents faced the second-highest council tax hike of all UK postcodes this year, with a hefty 15% increase, which is almost 10% more than the UK average of 5.7 per cent in 2025.
Kirkwall was also found to have the fourth-lowest number of Postcode Lottery winners out of all 121 postcodes in the UK, with just 60 winners.
Despite its size, Kirkwall is packed with independent shops, cozy cafés, and distilleries like Highland Park, one of Scotland’s oldest working whisky distilleries. The harbour is a hub for ferries, fishing boats, and cruise ships, giving the town a vibrant, maritime feel. Just outside town, you’ll find scenic walks, birdwatching spots like the Peedie Sea, and views across Scapa Flow.
A SlotMatrix spokesperson said: “It’s fascinating to see how factors like sunshine, lottery wins, and even flat tyres can paint a picture of how lucky or unlucky different parts of the UK are.
“While luck means something different to everyone, Kirkwall’s little sunshine, lack of Postcode Lottery wins and hefty increase in council tax, really does stand out.
“We hope this research sparks a bit of fun debate about which UK location is truly the luckiest.”