80,000 children living in deep poverty, new research shows

High housing costs, lack of work and inadequate social security is keeping around a third of children in Scotland in very deep poverty, a charity has revealed.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) estimates that around 80,000 children – equivalent to all those aged 16 and under in Edinburgh – are now well below the poverty line.

It found that young people in poverty are more likely to be in extreme poverty now compared to 1994-1997.

The charity called on ministers to “radically up their game” or risk failing to meet more child poverty targets.

It said getting the child poverty rate below the 10 per cent target by 2030 would be “almost impossible” unless urgent action is taken.

Eradicating child poverty is First Minister John Swinney’s top priority, yet so far the government has missed key interim goals. In 2023-2024 the relative rate of child poverty was 22 per cent, while the rate of absolute poverty was 17 per cent. While this marked a 10-year low, it fell short of the government's interim target of getting relative poverty below 18 per cent and absolute poverty below 14 per cent.

JRF associate director for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Chris Birt, said: "We've heard a lot recently about people feeling left behind by politics. What more striking evidence of that is needed than the stark findings of this report?

"If this happened overnight, it would be an emergency. The outcry should be the same even if we've got here after 30 years.

"Politicians want to rebuild trust in politics so they must take action for these children that are being left behind. And take that action at scale.

"We know the drivers of poverty in Scotland are poor work, poor housing and even poorer social security. You can't pull one of these levers only and expect the substantial impact we need to see. Progress on all three will truly give children in Scotland a more hopeful future."

The JRF research also showed families with two children aged 12 or under in very deep poverty are on average £1100 below the poverty line.

Minorities were also revealed to be at higher risk of living in extreme poverty. One in four kids in deep poverty were from a minority ethnic background despite this group making up less than 13 per cent of Scotland’s total population, according to 2022 figures.

Birt added: "Whichever party wins the next Holyrood election will carry the heavy burden of meeting the Scottish Parliament's child poverty targets. Succeeding against the target will deliver a Scotland where all our children are able to flourish, and trust in our political institutions can be restored. 

"The UK Government must also not sit idly by – it can also play a massive role in improving the lives of children in Scotland and across the UK. They must also keep up their end of the bargain."