Overall Highlands & Islands Regional list result:
| Party | 2nd Votes | % | +/-% | Regional Seats | +/- | Constituencies | +/- | Total Seats | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNP | 85,082 | 47.5% | +13.1% | 3 | +1 | 6 | +2 | 9 | +3 |
| Labour | 25,884 | 14.5% | -3.2% | 2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1 |
| Liberal Democrats | 21,729 | 12.1% | -8.0% | 0 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 2 | -2 |
| Conservative | 20,843 | 11.6% | -0.8% | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Scottish Green Party | 9,076 | 5.1% | +0.4% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scottish Christian Party | 3,541 | 2.0% | -1.4% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UKIP | 3,372 | 1.9% | +1.2% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All Scotland Pensioners Party | 2,770 | 1.5% | -0.6% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Liberal Party | 1,969 | 1.0% | n/a | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ban Bankers’ Bonuses Party | 1,764 | 0.9% | n/a | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Socialist Labour Party | 1,406 | 0.8% | +0.2% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BNP | 1,134 | 0.6% | -0.5% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scottish Socialist Party | 509 | 0.3% | -0.2% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Solidarity | 204 | 0.1% | -0.9% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Worth noting:
The SNP polled 47.5% of the regional votes cast in Highlands & Islands, more than Labour, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Scottish Greens, Scottish Christian Party and UKIP combined.
The only seat in Highlands & Islands in which the SNP were outpolled on the regional ballot was in the Shetland Islands, seat of then-Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott.
The SNP won the seventh regional seat (as detailed below) by just 378 votes from the Scottish Greens, whose Co-convenor Eleanor Scott was top of their list in Highlands & Islands.
Regional seats as elected:
| SNP | Labour | Lib Dem | Conservative | Green | |
| 2ND VOTES | 85,082 | 25,884 | 21,729 | 20,843 | 9,076 |
| 1st divisor | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st allocation | 12,155 | 25,884 | 7,243 | 20,843 | 9,076 |
| 2ND DIVISOR | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 2ND ALLOCATION | 12,155 | 12,942 | 7,243 | 20,843 | 9,076 |
| 3rd divisor | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 3rd allocation | 12,155 | 12,942 | 7,243 | 10,422 | 9,076 |
| 4TH DIVISOR | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 4TH ALLOCATION | 12,155 | 8,628 | 7,243 | 10,422 | 9,076 |
| 5th divisor | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 5th allocation | 10,635 | 8,628 | 7,243 | 10,422 | 9,076 |
| 6TH DIVISOR | 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 6TH ALLOCATION | 9,454 | 8,628 | 7,243 | 10,422 | 9,076 |
| 7th divisor | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 7th allocation | 9,454 | 8,628 | 7,243 | 6,948 | 9,076 |
| 8TH DIVISOR | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 8TH ALLOCATION (Hypothetical) | 8,508 | 8,628 | 7,243 | 6,948 | 9,076 |
Highlands & Islands Regional MSPs in order elected above:
1. Rhoda Grant (Labour)
2. Jamie McGrigor (Conservative)
3. David Stewart (Labour)
4. John Finnie (SNP)
5. Jean Urquhart (SNP)
6. Mary Scanlon (Conservative)
7. Mike MacKenzie (SNP)
Despite dominating on the constituency vote and winning all but the two island constituencies of Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands, the SNP still returned three new faces via the regional list – John Finnie, Jean Urquhart and Mike MacKenzie. Labour’s Rhoda Grant and David Stewart return to Holyrood from the previous session, as do Jamie McGrigor and Mary Scanlon of the Conservatives.
After the SNP conference controversially backed NATO membership in 2012, John Finnie and Jean Urquhart left the party and now sit as independents.
| National | Central Scotland | Glasgow | Highlands & Islands | Lothian | Mid-Scotland & Fife | North East Scotland | South Scotland | West Scotland |
| Argyll & Bute | Caithness, Sutherland & Ross | Inverness & Nairn | Moray | Na h’Eileanan an Iar | Orkney Islands | Shetland Islands | Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch |