Scotland’s child poverty rate lower than UK but 2030 target ‘likely to be missed’

New analysis suggests Scotland has reduced child poverty compared with the rest of the UK, but remains off track to meet its legally binding targets by the end of the decade.

Scotland’s child poverty rate is lower than the UK average, but the country is unlikely to meet its ambitious 2030 targets, according to new research.

The report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that around 21% of children in Scotland were living in relative poverty, compared with 28% across the UK.

Researchers said lower housing costs and devolved policies, including the Scottish Child Payment, had helped reduce poverty levels.

However, despite these measures, projections suggest the rate will only fall to around 18% by 2030 – well short of the Scottish Government’s target of less than 10%.

The target, set under the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017, is considered highly ambitious, with analysts noting that such low levels of child poverty have rarely been achieved historically.

The IFS said further reductions would likely require significant increases in spending on benefits or wider economic changes, both of which would present challenges for public finances.

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