Poverty and social justice

Child poverty

Around one in five children in Scotland lives in poverty. 

This is unacceptable, and it is why the defining mission of this government is to eradicate child poverty. 

Eradicating child poverty: our approach 

The main ways we can help improve the lives of low-incomes families are by: 

• helping people into fair, well-paid jobs 

• supporting people with the cost of living 

• increasing awareness and uptake of social security benefits 

• taking wider action to support children and families to thrive  

Where support is being targeted 

Some families are at higher risk of poverty. Our action to tackle poverty targets the following six family types: 

• lone parent families 

• minority ethnic families 

• families with a disabled adult or child 

• families with a mother aged under 25 

• families with a child under one 

• families with three or more children 

Our action focuses on low-income families and those at greatest risk of poverty.

Legislation  

The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 sets out targets to reduce the proportion of children in poverty by 2030. 

Our targets are that by 2030 less than:    

• 10% of children are in relative poverty   
• 5% of children are in absolute poverty   
• 5% of children are in combined low income and material deprivation    
• 5% of children are in persistent poverty   

All four measures are based on the income left to a household after housing costs.   

Read more about the above definitions of poverty.  

We are also required to publish delivery plans and to report annually on the progress we have made.

Tackling Child Poverty Plan 2026 to 2031 

‘Bringing Hope, Building Futures’, our third Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan published in March 2026, sets out a robust framework and concrete action to drive further progress on child poverty. 

These actions include:   

• expanding access to childcare, including through delivery of a national breakfast club offer for families  
• supporting more parents to increase their earnings through investment in Parental Employability Support and skills 
• providing Five Family Payments, including our Scottish Child Payment, to help-income families with children under 16 
• reducing the cost of living through investment in key areas including housing, transport and debt support 
• delivering Whole Family Support by making new funding available to third sector organisations, to bring together the services families need 

Measuring progress 

As set out in The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017, we have a legal requirement to publish progress reports. 

Local councils and health boards must also report yearly on their work to reduce poverty. We have published guidance to help councils and health boards develop child poverty action reports. You can read local child poverty action reports and other support materials at the Improvement Service website.  

We set up the independent Poverty and Inequality Commission which monitors progress and provides us with advice on poverty and inequality.

See: statistics, research and analysis relating to child poverty