Created in 1865, the diocese covers the historic county of Aberdeenshire, and the Orkney and Shetland island groups.

[1] The first female bishop of the SEC, Anne Dyer, was appointed to the diocese in November 2017 and consecrated and enthroned on 3 March 2018.

Her gender, support of same-sex marriage, and the fact that she was not elected by the diocese itself (she was appointed by the College of Bishops in accordance with the SEC canonical process when a diocese fails to meet the requirements to elect its own bishop), caused some controversy,[1][2][3] and two senior clergy, the Dean (Emsley Nimmo) and another member of the Cathedral Chapter, resigned their diocesan roles in protest.

[4] After further resignations by other clergy, the Westhill Community Church voted to leave the SEC in January 2019.

According to the Scottish Episcopal Church 41st Annual Report (2023), there are 1,755 communicants in the Diocese.