Scottish Government

This National Statistics publication presents annual estimates for the proportion and number of children, working age adults and pensioners living in low income households in Scotland. The estimates are used to measure progress towards UK and Scottish Government targets to reduce poverty and income inequality.

• In 2010/11, there were 780 thousand individuals living in relative poverty in Scotland.  Relative poverty has shown a statistically significant drop from 2009/10, with the number of individuals living in poverty falling from 17 per cent to 15 per cent between 2009/10 and 2010/11.  This follows a 5 year period of little change in poverty levels.  
• The percentage of children living in relative poverty fell from 20 per cent to 17 per cent between 2009/10 and 2010/11, this represents a reduction of 20 thousand children to 170 thousand children.  This change is not statistically significant.
• The percentage of working age adults living in relative poverty fell in 2010/11 from 16 per cent to 14 per cent, which represents a reduction of 70 thousand, to 440 thousand adults.  This change is statistically significant.
• 160 thousand pensioners were living in relative poverty in 2010/11.  This is a reduction from 17 per cent to 16 per cent between 2009/10 and 2010/11.  This change is not statistically significant.
• In terms of income inequality, the proportion of income received by the lowest 3 income deciles increased from 13 per cent to 14 per cent between 2009/10 and 2010/11.  This proportion has remained at between 13 and 14 per cent since 1998/99.
• The equivalised median weekly household income fell in real terms from £439 to £416 in Scotland between 2009/10 and 2010/11
• No statistically significant changes were observed between 2009/10 and 2010/11 to the absolute poverty levels.

Poverty and income inequality in Scotland 2010-11

This National Statistics publication presents annual estimates for the proportion and number of children, working age adults and pensioners living in low income households in Scotland. The estimates are used to measure progress towards UK and Scottish Government targets to reduce poverty and income inequality.

• There was little change in overall levels of poverty and income inequality in Scotland between 2008/09 and 2009/10. However, there were some changes in the proportions of different age groups that were living in poverty.
• The percentage of people in relative poverty (before housing costs) remained at 17 percent of the population between 2008/09 and 2009/10.
• Over this period slight decreases were recorded in all three of the indicators used to measure child poverty levels in Scotland.
• In 2009/10 the proportion of working age adults in relative poverty (BHC) increased slightly but, after rounding, remained at 16 percent.
• Between 2008/09 and 2009/10, the proportion of pensioners in relative poverty (before housing costs) increased by 1 percentage point to 17 percent. This follows a drop in this figure of 5 percentage points between 2007/08 and 2008/09.
• A figure for pensioner material deprivation is included for the first time. 10 percent of over 65s in Scotland are materially deprived according to the new indicator.
• New figures measuring persistent poverty are included for the first time. Between the periods of 1999-2002 and 2005-2008, the persistent poverty rate (before housing costs) in Scotland fell by 4 percentage points to 9 percent.

To access this publication click on the following link:

Poverty and income inequality in Scotland: 2009-10

An analytical paper presenting a broad overview of evidence about child poverty in Scotland. Published to to accompany the 2010 Child poverty strategy consultation.

Child Poverty in Scotland

This publication presents, for the first time, official figures about the distribution of income and relative poverty across Scotland at local authority area level. These data are published as "Data being developed" and are undergoing further quality assurance work. The data are published simply to allow the methodology to be developed and the statistics in the publication should not be treated as official statistics.

Relative poverty across Scottish local authorities

These figures have been produced from the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) by combining SHS data with data from the Family Resources Survey, a UK wide survey of household incomes run by the Department for Work and Pensions. To find out more about the work which produced these figures see the annex in the main report or the following page:

Scottish Household Survey income imputation

This report presents information about the number of new enquires and new cases to publicly funded, face-to-face money advice services during 2008/09.

Summary

An enquiry is someone simply asking for advice, an enquiry becomes a case when the agency has to take some action - such as negotiation, advocacy or representation - to move the case forward.

• Enquiries to face-to-face money advice services rose by forty percent between 2007/08 and 2008/09, the period covering the beginning of the current recession. Of the thirty councils which returned information, twenty-five saw an increase in the number of enquiries.
• There was also a rise in the number of new cases between 2007/08 and 2008/09 but this was smaller than for new enquiries. The number of new cases rose by six percent and the amount of new debt related to these cases rose by three percent.

Publication

This report is available to view at the following link: Money advice statistics: 2008/09

This publication presents annual estimates of the proportion and number of children, working age adults and pensioners living in low income households in Scotland and the distribution of household income across Scotland. The estimates are used to monitor progress towards UK and Scottish Government targets to reduce poverty and income inequality. The data published for the first time here are for the financial year April 2008 to March 2009.

Key points

• There was little change in overall levels of poverty and income inequality in Scotland between 2007/08 and 2008/09. However, there were some changes in the proportions of different age groups that were living in poverty.
• The percentage of people in relative poverty (before housing costs) remained at 17 percent of the population between 2007/08 and 2008/09.
• Over this period slight increases were recorded in two of the three indicators used to measure child poverty in Scotland. The third recorded a slight decrease.
• The proportion of working age adults in relative poverty (before housing costs) increased from 15 to 16 percent, an increase of 30 thousand individuals.
• There was a fall of 5 percentage points in the proportion of pensioners living in relative poverty (before housing costs), a reduction of 50 thousand individuals.

A printable version of this publication is available to download at the following link:

Poverty and income inequality in Scotland: 2008/09

Excel versions of the tables in this report are available to download at the following link:

Poverty and income inequality in Scotland - tables to download

This publication supersedes 'Scottish Households Below Average Income 2006/07' which was published in June 2008. It presents annual estimates of the proportion and number of children, working age adults and pensioners living in low income households in Scotland and the distribution of household income across Scotland. The estimates are used to monitor progress towards UK and Scottish Government targets to reduce poverty and income inequality.

Key points

• Overall, levels of poverty and income inequality remained fairly stable between 2004/05 and 2007/08. The year-on-year changes highlighted below are all within the margins of sampling error for the survey upon which they are based.
• Between 2006/07 and 2007/08 the proportion of individuals in relative poverty in Scotland remained at 17 percent of the population.
• The proportion of children in relative poverty fell from 21 to 20 percent of children in Scotland.
• The proportion of pensioners in relative poverty increased from 20 to 21 percent of pensioners.
• The proportion of Working Age Adults in relative poverty increased from 14 to 15 percent of working age adults.
• Between 2006/07 and 2007/08 the proportion of total income received by those in the bottom three income deciles fell from 14 to 13 percent.

To view a web or pdf version of this publication please click on the following link:

Poverty and income inequality in Scotland 2007/08.

To download an Excel file of the figures used in this publication click on the following link:

Poverty and income inequality - figures to download

Income imputation in the SHS and SHCS: examining the feasibility of using the FRS to broaden the measure of household income.

During autumn 2008 the Scottish Government commissioned a feasibility study into the possibility of using data from the Family Resources Survey to improve the quality of income estimates produced from the Scottish Household Survey and Scottish House Condition Survey. The work also included examining the way in which income data in the SHS and SHCS were recorded and processed.

The full report is available to download at the following link:

Income imputation in the SHS and SHCS

The income and poverty statistics branch publishes the Scottish Household Below Average Income Statistics Publication Notice around March of each year. This year the publication was delayed until June.

The publication includes:

• Estimates of the proportion of people in Scotland living in relative low-income poverty before housing costs (this is the Scottish Government's National Indicator Number 14)
• Estimates of the proportions of children living in absolute and relative low income poverty households before housing costs and in combined low income and material deprivation in Scotland (to monitor the UK Government's commitment to eradicate Child Poverty by 2020)
• Estimates of the proportions and numbers of all individuals, children, working age adults and pensioners in both absolute and relative low income poverty households before and after housing costs
• Notes, definitions and low income measurement methodological guide

These estimates are derived from the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) Households Below Average Income (HBAI) analysis, which is based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS)

To view in either html or pdf format please click on the image or the link below:

Scottish Households Below Average Income 2006/07

This annual compendium publication presents a range of official statistics relevant to the Scottish economy.

Income and poverty statistics were contributed to both Article 1 on the Income Distribution in Scotland which explores income inequality, and Chapter 5 which examines the income and expenditure of households in Scotland including:

• The number of family units and persons in each family type
• Total income and medians
• Working age claimants of key benefits by statistical group and Local Authority
• Recipients of the main benefits in Scotland
• Families with child or working tax credit awards, or with children and receiving out-of-work benefits
• Mean weekly household expenditure

In addition it contains articles on innovations in knowledge-intensive services and exports to the rest of the UK.

To view the whole publication in PDF click on the picture, or for HTML click on the link below:

Scottish Economic Statistics 2007

The High level Summary of Equality Statistics is a compendium of equality statistics which presents statistical trends on the main areas of Government activity in Scotland across a number of equality dimensions including age, disability, ethnicity, gender and in some cases religion.

It provides a standardised, concise format for each topic and provides a route into more detailed statistics on each topic and each equality dimension by listing relevant publications and website.

Income and poverty statistics were contributed to chapter 12: Social and Welfare which details the following:

• Individual Income by gender and ethnic group
• Low income by age and family type
• Low income by age and employment status
• Low income by age and gender
• Low income by age and disability
• Income of the 15% most deprived areas in Scotland

To view in either html or pdf format please click on the image or the link below:

High Level Summary of Equality Statistics 2006

Download income and poverty contribution to the High level Summary of Equality Statistics 2006 in Microsoft Excel format

The High Level Summary of Statistics presents statistical trends on the main areas of Government activity in Scotland.

It provides a similar, concise format for each topic, presenting information graphically where possible and providing a route into more detailed statistics by listing relevant publications and related websites after each trend.

Income and poverty statistics were contributed to chapter 12: Social and Welfare which details the following statistics:

• Equivalised household income distributions
• Absolute and relative low income trends, both before and after housing costs
• Summary information relating to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
• Rural economic activity

To view in either html or pdf format please click on the image or the link below:

High Level Summary of Statistics 2006

The Futures Project Trend Analyses highlights some of the main trends - or influences - that are likely to affect Scotland over the next 20 years or so. It uses both quantitative and qualitative evidence to indicate which factors are likely to be significant in driving change over the medium and long-term.

Income and poverty statistics were contributed to the Shape of Society paper and cover:

• Low income trends
• Income inequality (10th and 90th percentile trend comparisons)
• Income inequality (10th and 90th percentile median income growth comparisons)

To view in pdf format please click on the image or the link below:

The Futures Project - Trend Analyses papers 2006

Please use the following couple of links to search through all Scottish Executive statistics publications as well as for information about future, planned publications:

• Publications
  An interactive list of all statistics publications produced for the Social and Welfare and Economy theme.
• Forthcoming publications
  Information on future statistics publications for the coming year across all Statistics themes.