Official child poverty statistics

  • Campaigners say new data must act as a “stark reminder” more is needed to meet legally binding child poverty targets.
  • “Behind these statistics are tens of thousands of children still locked in poverty. Their education, their health and their wellbeing continues to be damaged” say campaigners
  • “First Minister can’t rely on current policy package to make the progress needed to meet legally binding child poverty targets”

Today’s official Scottish government poverty statistics show 240 000 children (24% of all children) remained locked in poverty in Scotland in the period 2020 to 2023.  Children remain at significantly higher risk of poverty than pensioners (15%) and working age adults (21%). The figures show levels of child poverty broadly stable in Scotland, but don’t yet include the full impact of the roll out of the Scottish child payment and its increase to £25 per week in November 2022. Across the UK 100,000 more children were pulled into poverty, meaning a shocking 4.3 million children (30% of all UK children) were in poverty - up from 3.6 million in 2010-11.

In contrast the Child Poverty Action Group says child poverty should soon be falling in Scotland because of the full roll out of the Scottish child payment and increases to its value in November 2022.

Commenting on the figures John Dickie, Director of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland said:

"In a rich country these scandalous levels of child poverty are utterly unacceptable and a stark reminder how vital it is that the Scottish Government ratchets up its focus on child poverty. The First Minister really can’t rely on the current policy package to make the progress needed to meet legally binding child poverty targets. At the very, very least he needs to deliver on his commitment to increase the Scottish child payment to £30 per week, rethink cuts to affordable housing and ensure childcare and employment support are adequately funded. At the same time the UK government must stop its poverty producing policies like the two-child limit. We need every level of government working to end child poverty.” 

Mr Dickie continued:

“We can’t forget that behind these statistics are tens of thousands of children still locked in poverty. Their education, their health and their wellbeing continues to be damaged because their families just don’t have the incomes they need to give them a decent start in life. There can be no room for complacency. That is which why we are so bitterly disappointed that the Scottish government’s 2024/25 budget does little if anything to add to the policy package that has to date only stopped child poverty rising. The government’s own analysis shows that, as things stand, expected progress will fall far short of what’s needed to meet the legally binding target to reduce child poverty to less than ten per cent by 2030.”

The new statistics show that 70% of children in poverty live in working families.

The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act also requires Scottish Ministers to ensure that by 2030;

  • fewer that 5% of children are living in absolute poverty (a measure of low living standards relative to 2010/11)
  • fewer than 5% are living in low income and material deprivation (measuring if families are unable to afford basic necessities) 
  • fewer than 5% are living in persistent poverty (measuring proportion of children who have lived in poverty in three or more of the last four years

The latest data show levels of child poverty broadly stable across the indicators. 

Notes to editors

For further details and interviews contact John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland on 07795 340 618.