This page allows you to see how Scotland is performing across our 81 National Indicators in more detail.


Following the National Performance Framework review in 2018, some new indicators were chosen and are still in development. They will be reported here when complete.

You can download the data underlying the National Performance Framework from the statistics.gov.scot open data platform.

For a short guide to understand the information provided on this page, please see our Guide to the NPF Indicators. To see what changes have been made recently, please see the Changes and Updates page.

 

Children and Young People

Child social and physical development

This indicator measures the percentage of children with a concern at their 27-30 month review (as a % of children reviewed). Find out more about this indicator.

In 2019-20, 14.3% of children were recorded as having one or more developmental concerns at their 27-30 month review. This is a similar proportion to 2018-19 (14.5%), but there has been a gradual reduction in concerns since 2013-14 (19.2%).

Please note that this indicator now measures the proportion of children with a concern of all children reviewed as opposed to all children becoming eligible. Also, some children may not have been assessed across all developmental domains. We have changed the way this indicator is reported in order to help address data quality issues and align with the way Public Health Scotland report the figures.

  • In 2019/20, the local authority with the highest proportion of children with a developmental concern was Inverclyde (24.4%), while the local authority with the lowest proportion of children with a developmental concern was Aberdeenshire (2.7%).
  • In 2019/20, the health board with the highest proportion of children with a developmental concern was NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (19.3%), while the healthy board with the lowest proportion of children with a developmental concern was NHS Grampian (3.2%).
  • In 2019/20 a higher proportion of children of Black, Caribbean, or African ethnicity (20%) and Asian ethnicity (18.4%) had a developmental concern recorded than the national average (14.3%).
  • In 2019/20, children living in the most deprived areas of Scotland (21.7%) were more than twice as likely to have a developmental concern recorded than children living in the least deprived areas (8.2%).
  • In 2019/20, children living in households in which English was not the main language spoken in the household (15.8%) were slightly more likely to have a developmental concern recorded than children for whom English was the main language spoken in the household (14.2%).
  • In 2019/20, children who were bi/ multilingual (15.1%) were slightly more likely than children who were not bi/ multilingual (14.2%) to have a developmental concern recorded.
  • In 2019/20, boys (18.8%) were almost twice as likely as girls (9.5%) to have a developmental concern recorded.
  • In 2019/20, looked after children (34.3%) were more than twice as likely as non-looked after children (14.1%) to have a developmental concern recorded.

Breakdowns for this indicator are available by language spoken, ethnicity, gender, looked after children status and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Child wellbeing and happiness

The proportion of children aged 4-12 who had a "abnormal" or "borderline" total difficulties score. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of children aged 4-12 in Scotland having an “abnormal” or “borderline” score on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was at 16% during 2016-2019. This is a 1% point increase since the 2015-18 period and a 2% point increase since 2012-15.

  • Data from 2016-19 suggests children aged 10-12 (17%) and 7-9 (16%) typically reported a higher proportion of "abnormal" or "borderline" scores than children aged 4-6 (14%).
  • Children from the most deprived areas of Scotland (25%) had more than double scored as "abnormal" or "borderline", compared to children from the least deprived areas (9%).
  • Children living in households with the lowest income (25%) (adjusted for household size and composition), were more than four times as likely to be scored "abnormal" or "borderline", compared to children living in households with the highest income (6%).
  • Children with a limiting longstanding illness (50%) were more than four times as likely to have a score classed as "abnormal" or "borderline" when compared to children with no longstanding illnesses (11%).
  • Boys (18%) were more likely than girls (12%) to have a score classed as "abnormal" or "borderline".
  • Breakdowns are also available for the 5 dimensions used in the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, cross-tabulated against each of the above. These dimensions are: Emotional Symptoms, Conduct Problems, Hyperactivity, Peer Problems, Prosocial Behaviour.

Breakdowns for this are available for total difficulties and across 5 dimensions of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, as well as by age, gender, income, limiting longstanding illness and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. These can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Children's voices

Percentage of young people who feel adults take their views into account in decisions that affect their lives. Find out more about this indicator.

In 2019, 61% of males agreed, compared with 55% of females.  In terms of SIMD quintiles, those in the two most deprived quintiles were less likely to agree (55% in SIMD 1, 53% in SIMD 2) than those in the two least deprived quintiles (64% in SIMD 4, 60% in SIMD5). 54% of young people with a physical or mental health condition felt that adults took their views into account, compared with 62% of young people without a physical or mental health condition. There were no notable differences between urban and rural areas.

Breakdowns for this indicator are available by age, gender, school year, ethnicity, religion, long term illness or disability, urban/rural classification and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. These can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Improving

Healthy start

This indicator measures the prinatal Mortality Rate per 1,000 births (stillbirths plus deaths in the first week of life). Find out more about this indicator.

Scotland’s perinatal mortality rate – the rate of stillbirths and deaths of babies in the first week of life – has reduced by around 17% in the past decade, from 6.9 per 1000 births in 2010, to 5.7 per 1000 births in 2019. The lowest rate recorded was in 2018 (5.1 per 1,000 births).

Scotland’s perinatal mortality rate increased from 5.2 per 1,000 births to 5.7 per 1,000 births between 2019 and 2020.

In 2020, Scotland’s perinatal mortality rate was 6.1 per 1,000 births and 5.3 per 1,000 births for males and females respectively.

In 2018-2020, the perinatal mortality rate in Scotland’s 20% most deprived areas was 6.6 per 1,000 births. This compares with 3.7 per 1,000 births in the 20% least deprived areas.

This indicator can be broken down by gender and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (for three year groupings). Breakdowns for this indicator can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Quality of children's services

Percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) achieving good or better across all four quality themes. Find out more about this indicator.

In 2019, the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare achieving Care Inspectorate grades of good or better across all four quality themes was 90.2%. This is a small decrease of 0.4 percentage points from the previous year.

In 2019, the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare achieving Care Inspectorate grades of good or better across all four quality themes was 93.7% for children and family centres, 90.4% for nurseries and 83.1% for playgroups.

This indicator is broken down by service category (playgroup, nursery or children & family centre). Breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Children have positive relationships

Percentage of S2 and S4 pupils who report to have "three or more" close friends. Find out more about this indicator.

The percentage of S2 and S4 pupils reported having at least three close friends was 82 per cent in 2018. This was a slight increase from 2013 and 2015 (81 per cent), but lower than 2010 (85 per cent).

The percentage was slightly higher among

  • S4 pupils (84 per cent) than S2 pupils (80 per cent);

  • children from the least deprived areas (83 per cent) than those from the most deprived areas (80 per cent);

  • those who were not carers (83 per cent) than carers (79 per cent);

  • and those without a long term illness of disability (84 per cent) than those without such an illness (75 per cent).

This indicator can be broken down by gender, year group, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, carer status, parental status and disability. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Child material deprivation

Percentage of children in combined material deprivation and low income after housing costs (below 70% of UK median income). Find out more about this indicator.

Find out more on how poverty in Scotland is measured, and how material deprivation is defined.

The proportion of children in low income and material deprivation was 13% in 2017-20, similar to the previous periods. The proportion of children in low income and material deprivation was 13% in 2017-20, similar to the previous periods.

Different age groups (0-4, 5-12, 13-19) show no consistent differences in how likely they are to be in combined low income and material deprivation.

An ethnicity breakdown is not available as a time series, because the ethnic composition in the weighted sample is not robust enough. However, the latest estimates published on the Open Data platform show that children in the “Asian or Asian British” and “Mixed, Black or Black British, and Other” groups were more likely to be in combined low income and material deprivation compared to children in the “White – British” and “White – Other” groups.

Children in households with disabled household members have been consistently more likely to be in combined low income and material deprivation compared to those in households where no-one is disabled.

Children who live with one parent only have consistently been more likely to be in combined low income and material deprivation compared to those living with two parents.

Data is available broken down by disability/no disability in household, lone parent/no lone parent in household, and age of child. These can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Communities

Perceptions of local area

Percentage of adults who rate their neighbourhood as a very good place to live. Find out more about this indicator.

Overall ratings of neighbourhood have been consistently high, with over nine in ten adults typically saying their neighbourhood is a ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ good place to live.  The percentage of people who rated their neighbourhood as a very good place to live had been gradually increasing from 51.1% in 2006 to 55.9% in 2011 remaining around this level since. The figure is at 57.0% in 2019.

The percentage of people who rated their neighbourhood as a very good place to live went from 57.4% in 2018 to 57.0% in 2019. There was an increase of 5.9 percentage points from 51.1% in the baseline year of 2006.

Neighbourhood perceptions increased with age - 49% of adults aged 16 to 24 rated their neighbourhood as a very good place to live, increasing to 68% of adults aged 75 and over in 2019.

In 2019, adults from a white ethnic background were more likely to rate their neighbourhood as a very good place to live (58% of adults), compared to adults from minority ethnic groups (46% of adults).

There was no difference in ratings reported by men or women in 2019.

In 2019, adults who didn’t have a disability were more likely to rate their neighbourhood as a very good place to live (59% of adults), compared to those who did have a disability (51% of adults). This is similar to ratings between 2014 and 2018.

There is a trend in neighbourhood ratings between adults with different religions. Adults recorded as Church of Scotland or Other Christian religions have consistently rated their neighbourhood higher than those recorded as None.

Deprivation reveals area-based differences, as the proportion rating their neighbourhood as a very good place to live increased significantly as deprivation declined. Of those living in the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland in 2019, 32% rated their neighbourhood as a very good place to live, rising to 77% for those living in the 20% least deprived areas. This is a similar trend to previous years

There is a pattern in perceived neighbourhood ratings between urban and rural areas.  People living in remote rural areas were the most likely to rate their neighbourhood as a very good place to live (80% of adults in 2019), compared to half for those living in large urban areas (50% of adults in 2019).

Breakdowns for this indicator are available by age, disability, ethnicity, gender, religion, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, urban/rural classification and local authority. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Loneliness

Percentage of adults who report feeling lonely “some, most, almost all or all of the time” in the last week. Find out more about this indicator.

The percentage of adults who felt lonely some, most, almost all, or all of the time in the last week was 21.3%. This is the first year that these data have been collected.

There are breakdowns for this indicator by age, disability, ethnicity, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, Urban/Rural classification and local authority. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Data for this indicator is available for 2020. However, please note that the 2020 results are not directly comparable to results for previous years, which is why the indicator shows "performance to be confirmed". Data for 2020, and further information can be viewed here.

Performance to be confirmed

Perceptions of local crime rate

Percentage of respondents who think crime in their area has stayed the same or reduced in the past two years. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of adults saying that the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years was 73% in 2019/20. This figure has risen from 69% in 2008/09 and is consistent with the finding in 2018/19 (73%).

In 2019/20:

  • fewer women than men (69% compared to 76%) thought that the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years
  • no difference by age was detected in the proportion of adults who thought that the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years
  • people in the 15% most deprived areas were less likely to think the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years than those living elsewhere in Scotland (65% compared to 74%)
  • people who had a disability were less likely to think the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years than those who did not have a disability (66% compared to 75%)
  • those in urban locations were less likely than those in rural locations to think the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years (72% compared to 76%)
  • victims of crime were less likely to think the local crime rate had stayed the same or reduced in the past two years than those who did not experience crime (59% compared to 74%)

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, disability, urban/rural location and victim status. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

 

Performance Maintaining

Community ownership

The number of assets in community ownership. Find out more about this indicator.

These figures show an increase in the number of assets in community ownership between 2019 and 2020. In 2020, the number of assets was 612 compared to 597 in 2019.

The number of assets in community ownership was 612 in 2020. This is 2.5% higher than in 2019.

This indicator can be broken down by local authority. This breakdown can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Crime victimisation

Proportion of adults who have been the victim of one or more crimes in the past year. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of adults experiencing crime has maintained. In 2019/20, around one-in-eight adults (11.9%) were victims of crime, unchanged from 2018/19 (12.4%), but down from around one-in-five (20.4%) in 2008/09.

In 2019/20:

  • there was no significant difference between men and women who were victims of SCJS crime in 2019/20
  • people aged 60 and over were least likely to have experienced crime in 2019/20 (6.9% compared to 18.3% of those aged 16-24, 14.7% of 25-44, and 11.5% of those aged 45-59)
  • adults living in the 15% most deprived areas were more likely than those living elsewhere in Scotland to have experienced crime in 2019/20 (16.5% compared to 11.2%)
  • people who had a disability were more likely to have experienced crime in 2019/20 than people who did not have a disability (15.0% compared to 11.0%)
  • the likelihood of experiencing crime in 2019/20 was greater for adults living in urban areas than for those in rural locations (13.0% compared to 6.9%)

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, disability and urban/rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

 

Performance Maintaining

Places to interact

Percentage of adults who agree that, in their neighbourhood, there are places where people can meet up and socialise. Find out more about this indicator.

The percentage of adults who tend to agree/strongly agree that there are places to meet up and socialise in their neighbourhood was 57% in 2019. This was two percentage points lower than the 2018 measure (59%)

There is not very much variation between age categories. The highest level of agreement is for people who are aged over 75 (61%) and the lowest level of agreement is for people aged 35 to 44 (55%).

There are similar levels of agreement among men (57%) and women (58%).

Disabled people are less likely to agree that there are places to interact (51%) compared with people who are not disabled (59%).

White Scottish people are more likely to agree (57%) than people with a minority ethnicity (51%).

There are similar levels of agreement in areas classified as urban (57%) and rural (59%).

There is a larger amount of variation by deprivation. People in the 20% most deprived parts of Scotland are much less likely to agree with this statement (48%) than people in the 20% least deprived parts of Scotland (61%).

Breakdowns for this indicator are available by age, disability, ethnicity, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, Urban/rural classification and local authority. These breakdowns can be viewed using the Equality Evidence Finder.

Data for this indicator is available for 2020. However, please note that the 2020 results are not directly comparable to results for previous years, which is why the indicator shows "performance to be confirmed". Data for 2020, and further information can be viewed here.

Performance to be confirmed

Access to green and blue space

Proportion of adults who live within a 5 minute walk of their local green or blue space. Find out more about this indicator.

65.6% of adults lived within a 5 minute walk of their nearest green or blue space in 2019, compared to 65.3% in 2018.

People living in the most deprived areas are less likely to live within a 5 minute walk of their nearest greenspace than people in less deprived areas. This observation has been consistent over the time series the data has been collected.

In 2019, those in the 75+ age group were less likely to live within a 5 minute walk of the nearest greenspace compared to younger age groups.

There was also a marked difference by ethnicity, with 66% of those from the white ethnic group reporting living within a five 5 minute walk  of the nearest greenspace, compared to 46% of those from ethnic minorities.

Those responding as having no religion or as Christian were also more likely to live within 5 minutes of a greenspace compared to those belonging to another religion.

Breakdowns of data by age, disability, ethnicity, gender, local authority, religion, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban/rural classification are available in the Data Explorer.

Data for this indicator is available for 2020. However, please note that the 2020 results are not directly comparable to results for previous years, which is why the indicator shows "performance to be confirmed". Data for 2020, and further information can be viewed here.

Performance to be confirmed

Social capital

Social capital is the resource of social networks, community cohesion, social participation, trust and empowerment. The social capital index monitors aggregate changes in levels of social capital since 2013. The index is set to 100 in 2013. Find out more about this indicator.

The index trend has been stable and maintaining between 2013 and 2017. The change between 2017 and 2019 has been driven by the decrease in the social capital themes of ‘empowerment’ (feeling able to influence decisions) ‘networks’ (neighbourhood help and support), ‘participation’ (volunteering).

The Social Capital index is at 93 index points which is 7 points lower than the 2013 baseline (100) and the index score for 2018 (95). This change between 2018 and 2019 was statistically significant.

Performance Worsening

Culture

Attendance at cultural events or places of culture

Percentage of adults who have attended or visited a cultural event or place in the last 12 months. Find out more about this indicator.

2019 data show that around eight in ten adults (81 per cent) in Scotland had had attended or visited a cultural event or place of culture in the last 12 months.

Overall, attendance was higher among women, younger people, those with degrees or professional qualifications, those with no long-term physical or mental health conditions (when comparing those with no reported long-term physical or mental health conditions and those with any reported long-term physical or mental health conditions), those living in less deprived areas and those with a higher household income.

This indicator can be broken down by gender, age, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, Disability, Religion, Ethnicity, Urban/rural classification, local authority, and highest level of qualification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Data for this indicator is available for 2020. However, please note that the 2020 results are not directly comparable to results for previous years, which is why the indicator shows "performance to be confirmed". Data for 2020, and further information can be viewed here.

Performance to be confirmed

Participation in a cultural activity

Percentage of adults who have participated in a cultural activity in the last 12 months. Find out more about this indicator.

2019 data show that three-quarters (75 per cent) of adults had participated in some form of cultural activity in  the last 12 months.

Overall participation in cultural activities was higher among women, those with degrees or professional qualifications, those with no long-term physical or mental health conditions (when comparing those with no reported long-term physical or mental health conditions and those with any reported long-term physical or mental health conditions), those living in less deprived areas, and those with a higher household income. Differences in participation between age groups were less marked.

Breakdowns for this indicator by gender, age, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, disability, religion, ethnicity, urban/rural classification, local authority and highest level of qualification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Data for this indicator is available for 2020. However, please note that the 2020 results are not directly comparable to results for previous years, which is why the indicator shows "performance to be confirmed". Data for 2020, and further information can be viewed here.

 

Performance to be confirmed

Growth in the cultural economy

The amount of income generated by businesses, measured by Approximate Gross Value Added (aGVA), of the Creative Industries Growth Sector (GBP Millions). Find out more about this indicator.

The Approximate Gross Value Added (GVA) for Scotland’s Creative Industries sector was estimated at £4,547.5 million in 2019, down by 0.6% (in nominal terms) on 2018.  

The largest contribution to approximate Gross Value Added (GVA) within the Creative Industries sector came from Software/Electronic Publishing (49.1%), followed by Architecture (12.3%), then Design (11.7%).

Breakdowns for this indicator are available by local authority, sector and sub-sector. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

People working in arts and culture

The number of jobs in the Creative Industries Growth Sector (culture and arts). Find out more about this indicator.

The number of jobs in Scotland’s Creative Industries sector increased by 3.4% between 2018 and 2019.

The number of jobs in Scotland’s Creative Industries sector was estimated at 90,000 in 2019 – the highest level in the series, which goes back to 2009.

Breakdowns for this indicator are available for urban/rural breakdown, sub-sector breakdown and local authority. These can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

In 2019, the Local Authority areas with the highest number of jobs in the Creative Industries sector were Glasgow City and City of Edinburgh (around 22,000 and 19,000 jobs respectively).

The vast majority of Creative Industries jobs are in Scotland’s urban areas. In 2019, there were 82,000 Creative Industries jobs in Scotland’s urban areas, this compares to 8,000 Creative Industries jobs in Scotland’s rural areas.

In 2019, the sub-sectors ‘Software/electronic publishing’ and ‘Architecture’ made up the largest share of employment in the Creative Industries sector (32,000 and 10,000 jobs respectively). ‘Software/electronic publishing’ accounted for over a third of the total employment in Scotland’s Creative Industries sector in 2019.

Performance Improving

Economy

Productivity

Scotland's Rank for productivity against key trading partners in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Find out more about this indicator.

In 2018 Scotland was ranked in 16th place (out of 37 countries) for productivity levels amongst OECD countries. There has been no change in ranking in the latest year. The Scottish Government has an ambition to reach the top quartile of OECD countries in terms of productivity. Since 2007, Scotland’s productivity rank has remained unchanged in the second quartile, at 16th.

Scotland’s productivity rank among OECD member countries has been maintained in 2018. In 2018 productivity levels in Scotland were 83.8% of the lowest level in the top quartile (France).

Performance Maintaining

International exporting

The value, in GBP millions, of Scottish exports (excluding oil and gas). Find out more about this indicator.

In 2019, the value of Scotland’s international exports (excluding oil and gas) stood at £35.1 billion. This represents an increase of 3.4% on the previous year when Scottish international exports were valued at £33.9 billion. Exports increased in almost every year between 2010 and 2019 (2014 was the exception) and in 2019, were 43.0% higher than in 2010.

The total value of Scotland’s international exports increased between 2010 and 2019 from £24.5 billion to £35.1 billion, respectively. This is an increase of 43.0% over this period (an average of 4.1% per year).

Performance Improving

Economic growth

The difference (percentage point) between GDP growth rate and the previous three year average. Find out more about this indicator.

The annual GDP growth rate in Scotland in 2019 was 0.7% and the average annual GDP growth rate over the previous three years was 1.2%. As the most recent growth rate was more than 0.1 percentage points lower than the average for the previous three years, economic growth is currently worsening.

The annual GDP growth rate of Scotland was 0.4 percentage points lower than the average of the previous three years, indicating worsening economic conditions.

Performance Worsening

Carbon footprint

Scotland's carbon footprint expressed in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Find out more about this indicator.

Scotland’s carbon footprint in 2017 was 70.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e).  This is a decrease of 3.5 per cent over the year (from 73.3 MtCO2e in 2016) and 30.1 per cent lower than the peak of 2007 levels (101.1 MtCO2e).  

Performance Improving

Natural Capital

The Natural Capital Asset Index (NCAI) monitors the quality and quantity of terrestrial habitats in Scotland, according to their potential to deliver ecosystem services now and into the future. It is a composite index, based (i.e. equal to 100) in the year 2000. Find out more about this indicator.

The Natural Capital Asset Index (NCAI) was 102.6 in 2019 and generally appears to have remained relatively stable since 2000. The NCAI was 102.5  in 2018 and 101.4 in 2016, showing increases of 0.2 and 1.2 percentage points respectively. The increase since the base year 2006 is 1.3 percentage points. The NCAI in 2019 is the highest since detailed monitoring began in 2000.

It is recognised that at this point in time, the NCAI still requires further development and refinement to produce a fully satisfactory measure. Despite this it is seen as a valuable addition to the indicator set. We will continue to work closely with key stakeholders over time to develop the NCAI and other potential future measures.

 

This indicator can be broken down by category and habitat. Breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Greenhouse gas emissions

Greenhouse gas emissions as a percentage change achieved from the baseline figure in 1990. Find out more about this indicator.

In 2019, Scotland’s GHG Account for assessing progress to statutory targets, indicated a reduction of 51.5 per cent, compared to a target of a 55.0 per cent reduction.  As a result, the emissions reduction target was not met in 2019.  However, the percentage reduction in the latest year exceeds that implied by the targets so there is some evidence that the gap between target levels and emissions is closing.

Performance Improving

Access to superfast broadband

Percentage of residential and non-residential addresses where superfast broadband is available. Find out more about this indicator.

The percentage of residential and non-residential premises where superfast broadband is available increased from 87% in 2017 to 92% in 2018.

This indicator can be broken down by local authority area and urban/rural breakdown. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Improving

Spend on research and development

This indicator measures Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) as a percentage of GDP. Find out more about this indicator.

Total research and development spending as a share of GDP was estimated at 1.66% for Scotland in 2019, the same share as in 2018.

Over the longer term spending on research and development has increased, from an estimated 1.24% of GDP in 2007 to 1.66% of GDP in 2019.  The increase in spending since 2007 has been driven by a rise in Business Enterprise R&D (BERD) expenditure.

In 2019, the sector with the highest spending on research and development was the business enterprise sector (representing 0.84% of GDP), followed by the higher education sector (0.69% of GDP), government (0.11% of GDP) and private non-profit organisations (0.03% of GDP)

This indicator can be broken down by sector, and can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Income inequality

Income share of the top 10% of the population in Scotland divided by income share of the bottom 40% (Palma ratio) expressed as a percentage. Find out more about this indicator.

Income inequality has consistently been fluctuating over time with no clear trend.

In 2017-20, the total household income of the top ten percent of the population was 21% higher compared to that of the bottom forty percent. This compares to 23%, 27% and 24% higher incomes in the three previous periods.    

Performance Maintaining

Entrepreneurial activity

Total Early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) rate: proportion of the adult working age population that is actively trying to start a business, or that own/manage a business which is less than 3.5 years old. Find out more about this indicator.

The Total Early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) rate in Scotland increased by 0.1 percentage points between 2019 and 2020 to 7.3%. The TEA rate has increased by 2.3 percentage points since 2002, the first year for which comparable data is available.

Despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Total Early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) rate in Scotland remained stable and increased slightly by 0.1 percentage points between 2019 and 2020 to 7.3%.

In 2020, the Total Early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) rate for males was 9.3, compared to 5.3 for females. While the female TEA rate in Scotland has increased slightly over time, it has been consistently below the male TEA rate over time and the gap has increased compared to the first comparable year (from 3.2 percentage points in 2006 to 4.0 in 2020).

Breakdowns for age and deprivation were calculated as a three year average for 2018-2020. This found that:

  • The age group with the highest TEA rate was the 25-34 age group, with a rate of 8.1. The lowest rate of 4.1 was seen in the 45-54 age group. The rate for 18-24 year olds was 6.5 in 2018-2020. This increased to 8.1 for those ages between 25-34 and 7.9 for those aged 35-44.
  • In Scotland for the period 2018-2020, the most deprived area (1st Quintile) experienced the highest TEA levels of 7.6%. The least deprived area (5th Quintile) had a rate of 6.6. The 2nd Quintile saw the lowest rate at 6.1 while the 3rd quintile and 4th Quintiles had rates of 7.5 and 7.0 respectively.

TEA rate of the white ethnic population in Scotland in 2020 was significantly lower than that of the non-white population, at 7.0 compared to 13.0 respectively.

This indicator can be broken down by gender, age, and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

 

Performance Maintaining

Education

Educational attainment

This indicator is composed of 7 sub-measures. You can view the sub-measures in the Equality Evidence Finder and read more about the measures here.

Data could not be collected for sub-measures (i) to (iv) for 2019/20 due to the closure of schools resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Where data is not available due to COVID-19, the latest available data in 2018/19 shows that the proportion of Primary 1, 4 and 7 children achieving expected levels in literacy increased by 0.9 percentage points from 71.4% in 2017/18 to 72.3% in 2018/19. Meanwhile the proportion achieving the expected level in numeracy increased by 0.7 percentage points from 78.4% in 2017/18 to 79.1% in 2018/19.

There were increases in the proportions of Secondary 3 pupils achieving level 3 in literacy (up 0.6 percentage points from 87.3% to 87.9%) and numeracy (up 1.1 percentage points from 89.0% in 2017/18 to 90.2% in 2018/19).

School leaver attainment data, which informs sub-measures (v) to (vii) is available for 2019/20. However, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to the cancellation of 2020 National 5 (SCQF Level 5), Higher (SCQF Level 6) and Advanced Higher (SCQF Level 7) exams and the decision for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to not collect coursework or mark coursework that had already been collected. Grades in these qualifications in 2020 were instead based on teacher estimates. This will have affected the attainment of many 2019/20 school leavers. For this reason care must be taken when comparing 2019/20 attainment to that of earlier years. Interpretation must take full account of the different certification methods and an increase in the attainment levels in 2019/20 should not be seen as an indication that performance has improved without further evidence.

The data shows that 95.8% of 2019/20 school leavers achieved 1 pass or more at SCQF Level 4 or better. This compares to 95.9% in 2018/19. 85.7% achieved 1 pass or more at SCQF Level 5 or better in 2019/20. This compares to 85.1% in 2018/19. At SCQF Level 6 or better, 63.9% of 2019/20 school leavers achieved 1 pass or more. This compares to 60.5% in 2018/19.

  • Attainment in each sub-measure varies by ethnic group. Across most measures those in the Asian – Indian and Asian – Chinese groups have relatively high levels of attainment. For example, in 2019/20, 92.5% of Asian – Chinese and 82.3% of Asian - Indian school leavers attained 1 pass or more at SCQF Level 6 or better. This compares to 63.9% across all school leavers.
  • Attainment varies by SIMD quintile with those from the least deprived areas having higher levels of attainment than those from the most deprived areas. For example, in 2018/19, 88.5% of Primary school pupils from the least deprived areas attained the expected levels in numeracy (sub-measure iii) compared to 71.7% of primary pupils from the most deprived areas. Similarly, for sub-measure (vi), 95.3% of 2019/20 school leavers from the least deprived areas attained 1 pass or more at SCQF Level 5 or better compared to 74.5% of school leavers from the most deprived areas.
  • Data is not routinely published for these measures by disability although is available on request. Separate data covering those with Additional Support Needs (ASN) is available and shows lower levels of attainment amongst those with Additional Support Needs than amongst those who do not have Additional Support Needs.
  • The attainment sub-measures show variation in attainment by urban/rural category. It is difficult to identify consistent patterns. Based on 2019/20 data, school leavers from Remote Rural areas were most likely to have achieved at SCQF Levels 4, 5 and 6 or better (sub-measures (v) to (vii)). For sub-measures (i) to (iv) 2018/19 data shows that those from Remote Small Towns were less likely to have achieved the expected level than those in other areas.

This indicator can be broken down by ethnicity, gender, local authority and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance to be confirmed

Work place learning

This indicator measures the percentage of employees who received on the job training in the last 3 months. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of those in employment aged 16-64 in Scotland who had received job-related training in the last 3 months decreased from  23.7 per cent in 2019 to 22.3 per cent in 2020.

In 2020, the proportion of those in employment aged 16-64 in Scotland who had received job-related training in the last 3 months was 22.3 per cent, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points since 2019.

In 2020:

  • The proportion in employment who received job-related training in the last 3 months is slightly lower in the 50-64 age group compared to the other age groups. All age groups except those aged 50-64 saw the proportion decrease over the year and, over a longer period, all age groups have seen the proportion decrease. The biggest decrease since the series began in 2007 is in the 16-24 age group, which has decreased by 8.9 percentage points.
  • The proportion of women in employment who received job related training (24.5 per cent) is higher than the proportion for men (20.1 per cent). For men and women, the proportion in 2020 is lower than at any previous point in the series since 2007.
  • The proportion of disabled people in employment (using the Equality Act definition) who received job-relating training in the past 3 months (23.8 per cent) is higher than the proportion for non-disabled people (22.1 per cent). The proportion in employment who received job-related training for both disabled and non-disabled people have seen a decrease since 2019.
  • The proportion of those in employment who received job-related training in the past 3 months is lower in the most deprived SIMD quintiles (1 and 2) than in the less deprived quintiles. Over the year there has been a slight increase in the proportion in quintile 1 with all other quintiles showing a decrease.
  • A higher proportion of minority ethnic people in employment have received job-related training in the last 3 months (27.0 per cent) compared with 22.1 per cent of those who identify as white. The proportion amongst minority ethnic people in employment has increased by 9.5 percentage points since 2019 whilst the proportion amongst white workers fell by 1.9 percentage points.
  • The proportion of those in employment who state that their religion is ‘Other’ and have received job-related training in the last 3 months (25.5 per cent) is higher than those whose response was either ‘No Religion’ (21.6 per cent) or ‘Christian’ (23.1 per cent). The proportion in the ‘Other’ religious classification has increased by 7.6 percentage points since 2019 while it has decreased for the ‘No Religion’ and ‘Christian’ groups.

This indicator can be broken down by age, disability, ethnicity and gender. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Worsening

Young people's participation

Percentage of young adults (16-19 year olds) participating in education, training or employment. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of 16-19 year olds that were participating in education, training or employment has increased from 2016 to 2018 (1.5 pp). In 2019 this decreased by 0.3 pp compared to the previous year . In 2021 the proportion of 16-19 year olds that were participating in education, training or employment was 92.2%, a slight increase of 0.05 pp compared to the previous year (92.1%).

Underneath the headline result:

  • Overall, those who live in more deprived areas are less likely to be reported as participating compared to those from less deprived areas.  There is a 9.3 pp gap in the participation rate between those from the most deprived areas (SIMD quintile 1) and the least deprived areas (SIMD quintile 5). This is a reduction from 9.9 pp in 2020.
  • The participation rate for 16-19 year old females is 93.2%, in comparison to 91.2% for males.  The percentage of females participating has increased by 0.4 pp between 2020 and 2021 but for males it has decreased by 0.2 pp. The gap between the two widened to 2.0 pp in 2021 compared to 1.4 pp in 2020.
  • 95.4% of the non-white ethnic group of 16-19 year olds are participating (3.4 pp higher than the rate for those identified as white).  The participation gap here has increased by 0.1 pp (3.4 pp in 2021 compared to 3.3 pp in 2020).
  • The participation rate of 16-19 year olds identified with a disability is 88.3% having decreased by 0.8 pp between 2020 and 2021. This is the first year that the participation rate for those identified as disabled has decreased compared to the previous year. This was mainly driven by decreased participation in employment and an increase in unemployed not seeking.  The percentage of those identified as disabled and participating in employment is 9.5%. This remains markedly lower than those not identified as disabled (15.8%). The participation gap between those identified as disabled and not disabled has widened to 4.1 pp, an increase of 0.9 pp from 2020.

 

This indicator can be broken down by age, disability, ethnicity, gender and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Skill profile of the population

Proportion of adults aged 16-64 with low or no qualifications at SCQF level 4 or below. Find out more about this indicator.

SCQF Level 4 refers to qualifications at, or equivalent to, National 4. In 2020, the proportion of people in Scotland aged 16-64  with low or no qualifications was 9.7 per cent, a decrease of 1.9 percentage points since 2019.

The proportion is at its lowest since the series began in 2007 and has decreased by 6.7 percentage points between 2007 and 2020.

In 2020:

  • The proportion of those with low or no qualifications is higher in the younger (16-24) and older (50-64) age groups than the other age groups. Since the series began in 2007 there has been a decrease across all age groups, the biggest of which has been for 50-64 year olds (down from 25.4 per cent in 2007 to 13.0 per cent in 2020).
  • The proportion of men with low or no qualifications (10.8 per cent) is higher than that for women (8.6 per cent). Since 2007, the proportion for women (down by 9.3 percentage points) has fallen at a faster rate than the proportion for men (down by 4.0 percentage points).
  • The proportion of disabled people (using the Equality Act definition) aged 16-64 with low or no qualifications (19.1 per cent) is over twice as high as those who are not disabled (7.2 per cent). Over the past year, however, the proportion for those who are disabled has fallen at a faster rate (down 3.3 percentage points) than for those not disabled (down by 1.6 percentage points).
  • The proportion with low or no qualifications is highest in the most deprived quintile and decreases as the level of deprivation decreases. The proportion is lower across all quintiles when compared to the previous year and also compared to when the series began in 2007.
  • The proportion with low or no qualifications is higher amongst the white population aged 16-64 (9.7 per cent) compared with the minority ethnic population aged 16-64 (9.0 per cent). Over the past year the decrease in the proportion of the minority ethnic population aged 16-64 with low or no qualifications (down by 6.3 per cent) is higher than for the white population aged 16-64 (down by 1.7 per cent).

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, disability, ethnicity, religion, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban/rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Improving

Skill shortage vacancies

Proportion of establishments reporting at least one skills shortage vacancy. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of employers in Scotland with at least one skills shortage vacancy (SSV) in the 2011 Employer Skills Survey (ESS) was 3% compared to 4% in the 2013 ESS.  In the 2015 ESS survey the proportion of employers in Scotland with at least one SSV increased to 6%, which was an increase of 2pp from the 2013 figure. In the 2017 ESS the proportion employers in Scotland with at least one SSV remained at 6%. 

The latest data shows that the proportion of employers in Scotland with at least one SSV is 3% (in 2020).

The proportion of employers in Scotland with at least one skills shortage vacancy was 3% in 2020. This figure has fallen since 2017 (6%).

In 2020, 21% of all vacancies in Scotland were skill shortages.  This is lower than in 2017 when 24% of all vacancies in Scotland were skill shortages.

  • In 2020, West Lothian region had the highest incidence of skill shortage vacancies (SSV) (6%) and Ayrshire (1%) and Lanarkshire (1%) regions the lowest.
  • In 2017, Forth Valley, West and West Lothian regions had the highest incidence of skills shortage vacancies (SSV) (9%). The lowest incidence of SSV was 1% in the Borders region.
  • In 2020 the density of SSVs was highest in Fife region (32%) and lowest in Dumfries and Galloway (13%).  In contrast, in 2017 the density of SSVs was highest in West Lothian region (38%) and lowest in Fife region (13%).
  • In general, the largest establishments are more likely to have SSVs.  This was true in both 2020 and 2017.  In 2017, the density of SSVs was greater among small establishments than large establishments.  In 2020, the density of SSVs was highest in establishment of sizeband 5 to 24 (23%).
  • In 2020, the incidence of SSVs was highest in Public Admin (10%). The lowest incidence was in Financial Services (0%).
  • The incidence of SSVs was highest in the Education Sector in 2017 (11%). The lowest incidence of SSVs was in Primary Sector & Utilities in 2017 (3%). 
  • The density of SSVs was highest in Health and Social Work (26%) in 2020.  In a number of sectors base size was too small to report (<30).
  • The density of SSVs was highest in Business Services sector in 2017 (37%).  The lowest density of SSVs was in Information & Communications in 2017 (8%).​​​​​​​

This indicator can be broken down by establishment size, region, and sector. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Improving

Skills underutilisation

Proportion of establishments with at least one employee with skills and qualifications more advanced than required for their current job role. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of establishments with at least one employee with skills and qualifications more advanced than required for their current job role was 33% in 2020 compared to 35% in 2017.  This is a decrease of 2 percentage points from the previous survey.  In 2015 the figure was 32%.

The proportion of all staff with skills and qualifications more advanced than required for their current job role was 8% in 2020 compared to 9% in 2017.

  • In 2020 West Lothian region had the highest incidence of skills under-utilisation (43%).  The lowest incidence of skills under-utilisation was 30% in both Ayrshire and Tayside regions.  This differed from 2017 where Dumfries and Galloway region had the highest incidence of skills under-utilisation (43%). The lowest incidence of skills under-utilisation in 2017 was 27% in the Forth Valley region.
  • In 2020 the density of skills under-utilisation was highest in Borders region (13%) and lowest in Edinburgh and Lothians, Fife, and Highlands & Islands regions (6%).  This differed from 2017 where the highest density of skills under-utilisation was in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire and Dumfries and Galloway (12%) and lowest in West Lothian (4%).
  • Establishments with 25 to 29 and 50 to 99 employees were most likely to have skills under-utilisation (37% in 2020).  In 2017 the highest sizeband was 100 to 249 employees (45%). 
  • The incidence of skills under-utilisation was highest in the Hotels and Restaurants sector in 2017 (52%) and 2020 (48%).  The lowest incidence of skills under-utilisation was Primary Sector and Utilities (23%) in 2020 and Business Services in 2017 (24%).
  • The density of skills under-utilisation was highest in Financial Services in 2020 (16%) and Information and Communications in 2017 (24%).  The lowest density of skills under-utilisation was Public Admin in 2020 (3%) and Manufacturing in 2017 (4%). In general, the density of skills under-utilisation was greater among small establishments than large establishments.

This indicator can be broken down by establishment size, region and sector. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Improving

Environment

Visits to the outdoors

Proportion of adults making one or more visits to the outdoors per week. Find out more about this indicator.

During 2019, 56.0% of adults are estimated to have visited the outdoors at least once a week, compared to 58.9% in 2018, and 44% in 2006, the baseline year.

Adults who reported their health to be good or very good were much more likely to visit the outdoors once a week than adults who reported their health to be bad or very bad. Similarly adults aged 75+ were less likely to visit the outdoors at least once a week compared to younger age groups.  Adults living in less deprived areas were also more likely to visit the outdoors weekly than those living in more deprived areas.

In 2019 men were more likely than women to visit the outdoors weekly (58 percent compared to 54 percent). This was also found in 2017 when the figures were 54 percent and 51 percent, respectively. No such difference between men and women was observed in 2018.

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, urban/rural classification, self-perception of health, disability, ethnicity and religion. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Data for this indicator is available for 2020. However, please note that the 2020 results are not directly comparable to results for previous years, which is why the indicator shows "performance to be confirmed". Data for 2020, and further information can be viewed here.

Performance to be confirmed

State of historic sites

The percentage of pre-1919 dwellings (sites) classified as having disrepair to critical elements. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of 71% in 2019 is at a similar level to 2018 (73%). The 95% confidence intervals are +/- 4 percentage points for both 2018 and 2019, with sample sizes of 521 and 546 respectively.

The proportion of pre-1919 dwellings classified as having disrepair to critical elements gradually increased from 73% in 2007 to a peak of 80% in 2012. The proportion decreased by 12 percentage points to 68% in 2015, and remained at a similar level since then.

The proportion of pre-1919 dwellings classified as having disrepair to critical elements is similar across SIMD deprivation areas, the exception to this is that dwellings in SIMD quintile 3 have a lower proportion of pre-1919 dwellings classified as having disrepair to critical elements compared to those in SIMD quintile 2; 64% compared to 78%.

The proportion of pre-1919 dwellings classified as having disrepair to critical elements is similar across urban rural areas. While the proportion ranges between 61% and 76%, this is within the survey’s margin of error.

This indicator can be broken down by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban/rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Condition of protected nature sites

This indicator reports the percentage of natural features on protected nature sites found to be in favourable condition. Find out more about this indicator.

By the end of March 2021, 78.3% of natural features were assessed as being in a favourable condition, 0.5 percentage points lower than recorded in March 2020 and 2.3 percentage points higher than recorded in 2007.

Performance Maintaining

Energy from renewable sources

This indicator measures the percentage of energy consumption which comes from renewable energy sources. Find out more about this indicator.

In 2019, the amount of energy generated in Scotland by renewable sources was 23.9% of total consumption according to provisional figures. This was an increase of 3.0 percentage points compared with 20.9% in 2018.

Over the decade there has been a general increase in the amount of energy generated in Scotland by renewable sources from 7.6% in 2009 to 23.9% in 2019. 

2019 represents an increase of 3.0 percentage points compared to 2018.  The rise is largely attributed to greater renewable electricity generation - over 3,500 GWh extra renewable electricity generated between 2018 and 2019, much of this due to increased wind generation.

In 2019:

  • the amount of electricity generated in Scotland from renewable sources was 19.3% of total consumption
  • the amount of heat generated in Scotland from renewable sources was 3.3% of total consumption
  • the amount of transport in Scotland running on renewable sources was 1.2% of total consumption

This indicator can be broken down by energy type. This breakdown can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Improving

Waste generated

This indicator measures the amount of household waste generated in million tonnes. Find out more about this indicator.

The amount of household waste generated in Scotland rose by 0.3 per cent (7 thousand tonnes) between 2019 and 2020 to 2.43 million tonnes.

There has been a reduction of 7 per cent since 2011, which was the first year comparable data was collected.

Total household waste generated increased in 17 local authorities and decreased in 15 local authorities in 2020 compared with 2019. Of these, five increased by more than 5% and ten decreased by more than 5%. Local authorities with large urban centre typically exhibited a rise in waste generated, whilst rural local authorities exhibited the largest declines.  

The local authority with the largest rise in waste generated was Glasgow City (up 14,000 tonnes to 252,000 tonnes) while Fife had the largest fall (down 19,000 tonnes to 175,000 tonnes).

This indicator can be broken down by local authority, and by local authority (per capita). This breakdown can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Sustainability of Fish Stocks

This indicator measures the percentage of fish stocks fished sustainably. 

In 2018, an estimated 67 per cent of commercial fish stocks were fished at sustainable levels in Scottish waters. This represents an increase of 7 percentage points from 2017 and 36 percentage points from 2000. The percentage fished sustainably in 2018 is the highest level recorded since this data collection began (1991) and demonstrates the ongoing recovery of the commercial fish stocks.

Find out more about this indicator.

Performance Improving

Biodiversity

This indicator is a combination of trends for three measures of Scottish species, index of abundance of marine species (based on seabirds), index of abundance of terrestrial species and index of occupancy of terrestrial species. Find out more about this indicator.

All three measures were stable over the period 2015 to 2016. The index of abundance of marine species rose by 2.7%, the index of abundance of terrestrial species fell by 4.8% and the index of occupancy of terrestrial species rose by 0.8%.

Over the longer term, between 1994 and 2016, the index of abundance of marine species fell by 36%, the index of abundance of terrestrial species fell by 31% and the index of occupancy of terrestrial species rose by 24%. The marine elements of the indicator continue to be under development as new species data becomes available. Further information on marine biodiversity status can be found in the Scotland Marine Assessment 2020.

Quantitative data on changes to Scottish biodiversity prior to 1994 is not captured in the indicator. However, the State of Nature Scotland Report 2019, highlighted a sustained decline in biodiversity between 1970 and 1994 and concluded that these trends should be ‘viewed against a backdrop of profound historic human influences on nature in Scotland’.

The marine elements of the indicator continue to be under development as new species data becomes available. Further information on marine biodiversity status can be found in the Scotland Marine Assessment 2020.

Breakdowns for the three measures are available for the main taxonomic groups. These breakdowns can be viewed on the NatureScot website.

Performance Maintaining

Clean seas

This indicator measures the percentage of biogeographic regions with acceptably low levels of contaminants. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of contaminant assessments in Scottish marine waters showing concentrations that are unlikely to harm marine organisms has not changed, with 93% of contaminant assessments in Scottish marine waters showing concentrations that are unlikely to harm marine organisms.

Performance Maintaining

Fair Work & Business

The number of businesses

The total number of private sector businesses (registered for Value Added Tax and/or Pay As You Earn) in Scotland per 10,000 adults. Find out more about this indicator.

The provisional 2021 registered business stock rate, of 393 businesses per 10,000 adults, represents a decrease from the 2020 rate of 394 businesses per 10,000 adults.

Breakdowns for this indicator show:

  • The number of private sector registered businesses (those registered for VAT and/or PAYE) decreased over the latest year - from 179,460 businesses as at March 2020 to 178,670 as at March 2021 – a fall of 790 businesses (-0.4%). 

    Between March 2020 and March 2021, the registered business stock decreased in the majority of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas.  Over the latest year, the registered business stock declined the most in Aberdeenshire (-390 businesses), Fife (-375 businesses) and Aberdeen City (-345 businesses). Whereas, the registered business stock in the City of Edinburgh increased by 4.0% (+825 businesses) over the latest year.
     
  • As at March 2021, registered private sector businesses with their ultimate base outside Scotland (RUK based or Abroad-owned) represented 3.3% of businesses, accounting for 36.1% of employment and 54.4% of turnover.

    Between March 2020 and March 2021, the number of Abroad-owned businesses in Scotland increased from 3,010 to 3,090. Whereas the number of RUK based businesses and Scotland based businesses decreased.
     

  • As at March 2021, the largest industry sector was ‘Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities’ (29,055 businesses).

    Between March 2020 and March 2021, the number of registered businesses in the ‘Transport & Storage industry’ sector increased by 10.6% (+650 businesses) – the sector with the highest relative growth over the latest year.  In contrast, the number of registered businesses in the ‘Information & Communication’ industry sector decreased by 10.7% (-1,140 businesses) - the sector with the lowest relative growth over the latest year.
     

  • The number of small registered businesses (0 to 49 employees) decreased from 172,965 businesses as at March 2020 to 172,445 as at March 2021 – a fall of 520 businesses (-0.3%). 

    The number of medium-sized businesses (50 to 249 employees) decreased from 4,055 businesses as at March 2020 to 3,845 as at March 2021 – a fall of 210 businesses (-5.2%). 

    The number of large businesses (250 or more employees) decreased from 2,435 businesses as at March 2020 to 2,375 as at March 2021 – a fall of 60 businesses (-2.5%). 
     

This indicator can be broken down by employee sizeband, industry sector, local authority and region of ownership. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

High growth businesses

The percentage of businesses which are high growth businesses as a share of all registered businesses. Find out more about this indicator.

In 2021, 1.1% of all registered businesses were high growth, up from the 2020 rate of 1.0%.

Note that high growth is measured in terms of turnover – there are lags associated with the turnover data used. Turnover for the majority of registered businesses is based on VAT returns for a 12 month period. For 2021 these relate to a 12 month period ending in December 2019, or January/February 2020, depending on the reporting pattern of the trader.

Breakdowns of this indicator show that:

  • As at March 2021, the high growth business rate was highest in Aberdeen City at 2.7%. Na h-Eileanan Siar had the lowest high growth business rate.
  • As at March 2021, foreign-owned private sector registered businesses had the highest high growth business rate (8.7%) - this has generally been the case since the start of the time series. The latest data show that for businesses based in the Rest of the UK (RUK) the high growth business rate was 6.4%. For those businesses based in Scotland the high growth business rate was 0.9% as at March 2021, reflecting the smaller size of businesses based in Scotland.
  • The latest data show that the high growth business rate was the highest in the ‘Mining and Quarrying’ industry sector with 8.2% of all businesses within that sector exhibiting high growth over the period 2018 to 2021.

 

This indicator can be broken down by industry sector, local authority and region of ownership. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Improving

Innovative businesses

This indicator measures the proportion of businesses that were innovation active during the survey period. Find out more about this indicator.

The share of innovation active businesses in Scotland in 2016-2018 was 32.2%.

The proportion of businesses that were innovation active decreased from 45.0% in 2014-16 (2017 Survey) to 32.2% in 2016-18 (2019 Survey).

Performance Worsening

Economic participation

This indicator measures the gap between Scotland’s employment rate and the rate of the top performing country in the UK. Find out more about this indicator.

Last year, in Q3 2020, Scotland had an employment rate of 74.1%, compared with England, whose employment rate of 75.4% was the highest of the 4 UK countries. The gap between these rates was therefore -1.3 percentage points.

Scotland’s employment rate has increased to 74.8% in the latest quarter (Jul-Sep 2021) and is the second highest of the 4 UK countries. England (with the highest rate of the 4 UK countries) has an employment rate of 75.8%, giving a gap of -1.0 percentage points.

So over the year, the gap has shifted by 0.4 percentage points in Scotland’s favour.

Please note that figures for change over the year and gap between Scotland and England are based on unrounded figures.

In Q3 2020:

  • the gap between Scotland’s male employment rate (76.6%) and England’s (78.9%) was -2.3 percentage points. In Q3 2021, Scotland’s male employment rate had not changed while England’s had increased to 79.3%. The gap has widened to -2.7 percentage points, an increase of 0.4 percentage points.
  •  the gap between Scotland’s female employment rate (71.7%) and England’s (72.0%) was -0.2 percentage points. In Q3 2021, Scotland’s female employment rate had increased to 73.0% while England’s had also increased to 72.2%. This represents a change of 1.0 percentage points in Scotland’s favour, with Scotland’s female employment rate now higher than England’s by 0.8 percentage points.

Performance Maintaining

Employees on the living wage

This indicator measures the percentage of workers earning less than the living wage. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of employees earning less than the Living Wage has decreased from 18.8 per cent in 2012 to 14.4 per cent in 2021, a decrease of 0.7 percentage points on the previous year.. The proportion of employees earning less than the Living Wage is now lower than at any previous point in the series, which began in 2012.

This indicator can be broken down by age and gender. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder. 

The proportion earning less than the Living wage is highest amongst those aged 18-24 (40.2 per cent in 2021). The proportions have decreased across all age categories and are lower than at any previous point since 2012.

A lower proportion of men earn less than the living wage, a trend which has been consistent since the series began in 2012. The gap has narrowed, however, from 8.5 percentage points in 2012 (14.4 per cent for men, 22.8 per cent for women) to 3.5 percentage points in 2021 (12.5 per cent for men, 16.0 per cent for women).

Performance Maintaining

Pay gap

This indicator measure the difference between male and female full-time hourly earnings, expressed as a percentage of male full-time hourly earnings. Find out more about this indicator.

In 2021, the gender pay gap for Scotland was 3.0 per cent, an increase of 0.6 percentage points on the previous year.

The gender pay gap increases with age. For those aged 16-24, the gap is -17.0 per cent, with median full-time hourly earnings for women exceeding those for men in this age group. This is also true for those aged 25-34, where the gap is -4.3 per cent. Men aged 35-49 and 50-64 have higher median hourly earnings than women, with the gender pay gap for these age groups being 3.5 per cent and 7.7 per cent respectively.

This indicator can be broken down by age. This breakdown can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder. This shows that the gender pay gap is highest in the ’50-64’ age band. The biggest decrease over the past year was in the ’16-24’ age band where average full-time hourly earnings (excluding overtime) for females are 8.2 per cent higher than for males.

Performance Maintaining

Contractually secure work

This indicator measures the proportion of employees (aged 16 and above) who have a permanent contract. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of employees who were in  contractually secure work in Scotland decreased from  95.0 per cent in 2019 to 94.6 per cent in 2020. In 2020, the proportion of employees in Scotland who were in contractually secure work was 94.6 per cent, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points since 2019.

In 2020:

  • Those who are aged between 16 and 24 or 65 and over are least likely to be in contractually secure work. In the 16-24 age group the proportion is 88.2 per cent and in the 65 and above age group the proportion is 89.9 per cent.
  • There was little difference between the proportions of men and women in contractually secure work. In 2020, however, the proportion for women (94.9 per cent) is 0.6 percentage points higher than the proportion for men (94.3 per cent) for the first time since the series began in 2007.
  • The proportion of employees in contractually secure work who are not disabled (94.9 per cent) is higher than for those who are disabled (93.4 per cent), a gap of 1.5 percentage points.
  • Proportions of employees in contractually secure work is above 90 per cent across all SIMD quintiles. In 2020, the quintiles with the lowest proportions were 4 (93.8 per cent) and 5 (92.4 per cent) with these proportions having fallen by 1.1 percentage points and 2.3 percentage points respectively since 2019.
  • A higher proportion of ‘White’ employees are in contractually secure work compared with ‘Minority ethnic’ employees  (94.9 per cent v 87.8 per cent). The proportion of minority ethnic employees in contractually secure work has fallen by 4.3 percentage points since 2019 compared with a fall of 0.2 percentage points for white employees.
  • The proportions of employees in contractually secure work were similar across the ‘No religion’, ‘Christian’ and ‘Other religion’ groups. However, over the year the proportion in ‘Other religion’ fell by 6.5 percentage points and this group is around 7.2 percentage points lower than the other two groups (both 94.9 per cent).

Performance Maintaining

Employee voice

The percentage of employees who agree that they are affected by collective agreement, defined as whether agreement between trade union and employer affect pay and conditions. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of employees who have reported that they are part of a collective agreement which affects their pay and conditions has fallen by 6.3 percentage points between 2007 and 2020.

The proportion of employees who have reported that they are part of a collective agreement which affects their pay and conditions has decreased from 38.1 per cent in 2019 to 33.7 per cent in 2020.

Disaggregation by age is compromised by small sample sizes for the 16-24 (in 2020 only) and 65+ age categories. However, the age group which consistently has the highest proportion of employees whose pay is determined by collective agreement is the 50-64 grouping (42.4% in 2020).

A higher proportion of women (36.8%) have a collective agreement compared to men (30.5%).

Breakdowns for this indicator are available by age and gender. This breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Worsening

Gender balance in organisations

Gap between male and female employment rate (positive gap represents higher male than female employment rate). Find out more about this indicator.

In 2020, the gender employment rate gap was 4.7 percentage points, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points since 2019.

In 2020, the male employment rate exceeds the female employment rate, with the current gap being 4.7 percentage points, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points since 2019.

The current gap is at its narrowest since the series began in 2007 and has decreased by 5.8 percentage points since then

In 2020:

  • The gender employment rate gap is narrower in younger age groups (16-24; 25-34) than in older age groups (35-49; 50-64). In all age groups except 16-24, the gender employment rate gap has decreased since 2019. 
  • The gender employment rate gap is negative for those who are disabled (using the Equality Act definition) i.e. the female employment rate is higher than the male employment rate. The gender employment rate gap for disabled people is now wider than at any time since 2014 (with the female employment rate exceeding the male employment rate) and the gap for not disabled is now narrower than at any time over the same period (with the male employment rate exceeding the female employment rate).
  • The male employment rate exceeds the female employment rate across all quintiles, and is highest in the less deprived areas (quintiles 4 and 5). This represents a change since the series began in 2007, where the gap was broadly similar across all areas of deprivation but has narrowed at a faster rate in the most deprived quintiles.
  • The gender employment rate gap for the minority ethnic population aged 16-64 is over four times that of the gap for the white population aged 16-64. Although the gap for the minority ethnic group has reduced by around one third since the series began in 2011, the gap for the white group has halved over the same period.
  • The gender employment rate gap is lowest amongst those who reported that they have ‘No Religion’. Since the series began in 2011, the gap has reduced in the ‘Christian’, ‘Muslim’ and ‘No Religion’ classifications but has more than doubled (to 23.6 per cent) amongst those with ‘Other’ religions.

This indicator can be broken down by age, disability, ethnicity and religion. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Improving

Health

Healthy life expectancy

The estimated average number of years that a new born baby could be expected to live in ‘good’ or ‘very good’ health based on how individuals perceive their general health. Find out more about this indicator.

Over the last decade healthy life expectancy has increased for males and decreased for females.  However, both males and females experienced a decrease  in healthy life expectancy over the latest year.  

The decrease in healthy life expectancy coincides with a stalling of growth in life expectancy in recent years, and has resulted in a lower proportion of life being spent in good health with 79.9% for males and 76.3% for females. This represents a healthy life expectancy of 61.7 years for males and 61.9 years for females.

The local authority with the lowest male HLE estimate was Glasgow City (54.6 years) and for female estimates North Ayrshire (56.3 years). The local authority with the highest male HLE estimate was East Dunbartonshire (69.8 years) and for female estimates was Orkney Islands (75.1 years).

The gap in healthy life expectancy at birth between the most and least deprived areas was 25.1 years for males and 21.5 years for females.

Those living in the most rural areas have a higher healthy life expectancy than those living in the most urban areas. The difference in healthy life expectancy estimates for males is 6.0 years and for females is 5.5 years.

Breakdowns for this indicator are available by local authority, health board, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban/rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Mental wellbeing

Average score on Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). Find out more about this indicator.

The mean Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) score in 2019 was 49.8. This is higher than the mean WEMWBS score in 2018 (49.4) although this increase is not significant at the 95% confidence limit. Across the time series mean scores have ranged between 49.4 and 50.0).

Adults in the 65-74 age group had the highest average wellbeing (52.0) compared to adults aged  25-34 who had the lowest average wellbeing (49.1)

There was little difference between the scores for men (49.9) and women (49.7)

Those living in most deprived areas reported lower average mental wellbeing (46.9) compared to those living in the least deprived areas (51.5)

People with a limiting long-term health condition had  lower mean average mental wellbeing (45.4) compared to those who were not disabled (51.9)

There was little difference in mental wellbeing scores between urban areas (49.5) and rural areas (50.7)

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, Disability and urban rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Healthy weight

Percentage of adults (aged 16+) who are a healthy weight. Find out more about this indicator.

The percentage of adults (aged 16+) who were a normal weight in 2019 was 33%, the same as in 2018. The percentage of adults who are a normal weight has remained relatively stable over the past few years, ranging from 33%-35% between 2008 and 2019.

The percentage of children (aged 2 to 15) who are a healthy weight was 68% in 2019, a decrease of 2 percentage points since 2018. This decrease does not represent a significant change at the 95% confidence interval.

The proportion of healthy-weight children has fluctuated since 2008, with the lowest prevalence occurring in 2011 (65%) and the highest in 2015 and 2017 (both 72%).

Overall, more young adults were at a normal weight compared to older adults. The age group with the greatest percentage at a normal weight was the 16-24 group at 54%, while the age group with the smallest percentage at a normal weight was the 65-74 age group (21%).

Among children, 62% of those aged  12-15 were at a healthy weight, compared to 73% of the 7-11 age group and 68% in the 2-6 age group.

29% of men were at a healthy weight in 2019, compared to 36% of women.

This difference was similar in children, with 66% of boys at a healthy weight in 2019, compared with 70% of girls.

28% of adults with a limiting long-term health condition were at a normal weight in 2019, compared to 35% of those who did not have a limiting long-term condition.

For adults, 26% of adults in the most deprived areas were at a healthy weight, compared to 38% of those in the least deprived areas. For children, the trend was similar, with 62% of children in the most deprived areas at a healthy weight, compared to 76% of children living in the least deprived areas.

There was little difference in adults at a normal weight between urban areas (32%) and rural areas (31%)

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban/rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Health risk behaviours

Percentage of adults with two or more health risk behaviours (current smoker, harmful drinking, low physical activity, obesity). Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of adults with two or more risk behaviours (current smoker, harmful or hazardous drinker, low physical activity, obesity) in 2019 was 28%, the same as in 2018. The percentage of adults with two or more risk behaviours has remained relatively stable since 2012, ranging from 28% to 32%.

Two or more health risk behaviours were more common amongst older age groups, with the 16-24 group having the lowest percentage (20%) and the 65-74 age group the highest (34%).

Health risk behaviours were slightly more common in men (29%) compared to women (27%).

There was a significant  difference in health risks behaviours by deprivation, with the percentage of adults with two or more health risk behaviours in the most deprived areas (40%) more than double that of the least deprived areas (19%)

Adults with a limiting long-term condition were more likely to engage in 2 or more health risk behaviours  than those without a limiting long-term condition (29% and 22% respectively).

Adults engaging in two or more health risk behaviours were more common in urban areas (29%) compared to rural areas (22%)

This indicator can be broken down by age, disability, gender and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

 

Performance Maintaining

Physical activity

This indicator looks at the percentage of adults meeting physical activity recommendations.

Based on the current physical activity guidelines, the proportion of adults meeting the recommended level in 2019 was 66%, the same as in 2018. This increase does not represent a significant change at the 95% confidence interval and the arrow is therefore performance maintaining.

Revised guidelines on physical activity were introduced by the Chief Medical Officers of each of the four UK countries in July 2011. The previous recommended level of activity for adults was that they should do at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week (i.e. at least 5). The new guidelines are that adults should be moderately active for a minimum of 150 minutes a week.

The impact of this change was an increase of around 24 percentage points in the proportion of adults meeting the recommendation. It is not possible to calculate adherence to the new guideline back over the time series, but figures using the old guideline were produced for 2012 and show relatively little change over time (39% in 2011, 38% in 2012).

Adults in younger age groups were more likely to be meeting physical activity recommendations compared to older adults. The most active age group was the 25-34 age group, with 77% meeting recommended levels of physical activity. The least active group was the 75+ age group, with 35% meeting the recommended activity levels.

Men were more likely to meet the physical activity recommendations than women (71% compared to 61%).

74% of adults in the least deprived areas met physical activity recommendations, compared with 54% of adults in the most deprived areas.

55% of adults with a limiting long-term health condition met physical activity recommendations, compared with 73% of those without.

64% of adults living in urban areas met physical activity recommendations, compared to 73% in rural areas.

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, Disability and urban rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Journeys by active travel

The proportion of short journeys less than 2 miles that are made by walking and the proportion of journeys under 5 miles made by cycling. Find out more about this indicator.

Since 2012, the proportion of journeys under 2 miles made on foot is little changed, from 48.5% to 47.6%. Over that time the proportion of journeys under 5 miles made by bike is little changed from 1.5% in 2012 to 1.7% in 2019.

In 2019, 1.7% of journeys under 5 miles were made by bike (similar to 2018, with just a 0.1% decrease) and 47.6% of journeys under 2 miles were made on foot (a 4.6% increase from 2018).

Although the proportion of cycling journeys remained steady, the rise in the number of walking journeys means the National Indicator status is determined as Performance Improving.

Results show that as adults get older they tend to make a smaller proportion of journeys under two miles by walking.

Those in their 20s, 30s and 40s make the largest proportion of journeys under five miles by bike.

Men take a larger proportion of short journeys bike than women.

White Scottish people take the smallest proportion of short journeys on foot.

People with no religion take a slightly higher proportion of short journeys on foot.

People with a permanent sickness or disability take a greater proportion of their short journeys on foot than the general population.

Over the past few years people living in the most deprived areas in Scotland have generally made a larger proportion of their short journeys by walking compared with those living in the least deprived areas.

However, it is those living in the least deprived areas that make the largest proportion of short trips by bike.

This indicator can be broken down by gender age, Scottish index of Multiple Deprivation, ethnicity, religion and disability. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Improving

Quality of care experience

This indicator measures the percentage of people who describe the overall care provided by their GP practice as Excellent or Good. Find out more about this indicator.

The percentage of people who describe the overall care provided by their GP practice as Excellent or Good in Scotland fell by 4 percentage points between 2017/18 and 2019/20, from 83% in 2017/18 to 79% in 2019/20.

Those 65 or over were more likely to describe their experience as excellent or good compared to younger age groups. T

here was a gap of 8 percentage points between the most deprived areas (74%) and least deprived areas (82%).

Fewer people with long-term health conditions reported overall care as excellent or good compared to those with no long-term health conditions.

Performance Worsening

Work related ill health

This indicator measures the prevalence of self-reported illness caused or made worse by work for people working in the previous 12 months. Find out more about this indicator.

The estimated prevalence of self-reported illness caused by or made worse by work, calculated as an average per 100,000 employed in the last 12 months, has decreased from 3,610 to 3,560 cases per 100,000 employed.

This change, based on 3-year averages for 2014/15-2016/17 and 2017/18-2019/20, is not statistically significant.

In 2017/18-2019/20, the prevalence of self-reported illness caused or made worse by work was 3,560 cases per 100,000 employed in the last 12 months. This is a decrease of 50 per 100,000 employed on the  previous estimate (3,610 in 2014/15 – 2016/17).

Performance Maintaining

Premature Mortality

European Age Standardised mortality rates per 100,000 for people under 75. Find out more about this indicator.

Since 1997, the rate of premature mortality decreased year-on-year until 2015 when there was an increase. Since then, it has remained relatively stable.

In 2019, premature mortality rates remained similar to those in 2018. Premature mortality is currently 18 per cent lower than in 2006, the baseline year.

Those living in the 20% most deprived areas show a markedly higher rate of premature mortality (753.4) compared to those living in the 20% least deprived areas (227.7).

In 2019, males showed a higher rate of premature mortality (515.0) compared to females (342.2).

Those living in accessible rural areas showed the lowest premature mortality rates (331.7), with the highest rate of premature mortality being found in large urban areas (471.7).

This indicator can be broken down by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Human Rights

Quality of public services

Percentage of respondents who are fairly or very satisfied with the quality of local services (local health services, local schools and public transport). Find out more about this indicator.

The percentage of adults satisfied with local health services, local schools and public transport in 2019 was 52.6%, down from the level in 2007 of 57.1% (the first year these data were collected). Levels of satisfaction have decreased from a peak of 66.0% in 2011, but have remained stable in the last two years.

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, ethnicity, disability, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban/rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Data for this indicator is available for 2020. However, please note that the 2020 results are not directly comparable to results for previous years, which is why the indicator shows "performance to be confirmed". Data for 2020, and further information can be viewed here.

Performance to be confirmed

Influence over local decisions

Percentage of people who agree with the statement "I can influence decisions affecting my local area". Find out more about this indicator.

In 2019, 17.8% of people agreed that they can influence decisions affecting their local area, down from 20.1% in 2018. This is a decrease of 2.3 percentage points since last year, and is the lowest level since first measured in 2007.

This indicator can be broken down by age, ethnicity, gender, disability, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban/rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Data for this indicator is available for 2020. However, please note that the 2020 results are not directly comparable to results for previous years, which is why the indicator shows "performance to be confirmed". Data for 2020, and further information can be viewed here.

Performance to be confirmed

Access to justice

The proportion of adults who are confident that the Scottish Criminal Justice System, as a whole, makes sure everyone has access to the justice system if they need it. Find out more about this indicator.

The proportion of adults who were confident that the Scottish Justice System makes sure everyone has access to the Justice System if they need it was 75% in 2019/20, consistent with 2018/19 (76%) and increased since 2008/09 (70%).

In 2019/20, confidence that the Scottish Justice System makes sure everyone has access to the Justice System if they need it was:

  • highest for youngest people (84% of 16-24, compared to 76% of 25-44 and 45-59, and 70% of people aged 60 and over)
  • not statistically significantly different between men and women
  • lower for adults living in the 15% most deprived areas than for those living elsewhere in Scotland (70% compared to 76%)
  • lower for adults who had a disability than for those who did not have a disability (71% compared to 76%)
  • not statistically significantly different by urban/rural location
  • not statistically significantly different between victims of SCJS crime and non-victims

This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, disability, urban/rural location and victim status. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

International

A positive experience for people coming to live in Scotland

This indicator is intended to measure one important dimension of migrants’ experiences in Scotland – a strong sense of belonging. Find out more about this indicator.

In 2019, 67.3% of migrants reported that they “very strongly” or “fairly strongly” felt they belonged to their immediate neighbourhood.

Migrants’ sense of belonging has remained similar to the previous year, rising from 66.4% of migrants reporting feeling that they very or fairly strongly feel they belong in their neighbourhood in 2018 to 67.3% in 2019.

This figure compares with a high of 69.5% In 2012.

Beyond the headline statistic:

  • In 2019, 74.8% of migrants from the rest of the UK reported that they felt they belong in their neighbourhood, compared to 59.5% of migrants from overseas.
  • Information on the year of arrival in Scotland is only available for overseas migrants, not for migrants from the rest of the UK. In 2019, 66.2% of overseas migrants who are living in Scotland and have been living in the UK for five years or more reported feeling that they belong in their neighbourhood, compared to 45.4% of migrants who had been living in Scotland for five years or less.
  • There is no statistically significant difference between female and male migrants with regards to their feeling of belonging.
  • Migrants’ feeling of belonging increased with age, with the 75+ age group reporting the highest feeling of belonging in their neighbourhood (87.1%), and the 16-24 age group reporting the lowest feeling of belonging (50.7%), although the small sample size of this age group requires cautious interpretation. Again, this includes migrants from overseas and the rest of the UK.
  • Migrants from the rest of the UK and overseas living in the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland reported the lowest feeling of belonging of 53.1%, while those living in the  least deprived quintile reported a feeling of belonging at 70.7%.
  • 81.2% of migrants from overseas and the rest of the UK living in rural areas reported that they felt they belonged to their neighbourhood, compared to 64.0% in urban areas.

Performance Maintaining

Scotland's reputation

Anholt GfK-Roper Nation Brands Index (NBI): Average scores of the six dimensions of national competence, given as a value (not percentage) out of 100. Find out more about this indicator.

Scotland’s overall score on the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands IndexSM (NBISM) was 62.6 in 2020, a decrease of 0.1 points since the last measurement in 2018 (62.7).

The score positions Scotland 17th across 50 evaluated countries around the world. Countries that did better than Scotland and ranked in the Top 10 were Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, France, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, and the United States.

The latest figures in 2020 show that Scotland’s overall score for reputation is maintaining internationally, with a decrease of 0.1 points since the last measurement (in 2018).

Performance Maintaining

Scotland's Population

Whilst Scotland’s total population has grown, this is not uniform across all of Scotland. This measure helps monitor how many councils are experiencing depopulation. Over the latest year to mid-2020, 20 council areas experienced a falling population (mostly island and rural areas, as well as areas in the west of Scotland). This is a worsening position from 8 council areas in mid-2019.

See maps for details of population change by council area, as well as population change by small area (data zone) to show every council has areas of population growth and decline. It is also important to remember that some of the year on year changes in population can be very small.

The Scottish Government’s Ministerial Taskforce on Population is helping tackle Scotland’s population challenges – find out more about the population taskforce and access the population dashboard to see the full range of indicators being used to monitor progress.

The local authority with the largest percentage population decrease was Inverclyde at -1.0% (a decrease of 740 people), while East Lothian had the largest percentage increase at 0.8% (an increase of 810 people).

While 20 areas faced a decline in their population over the year to mid-2020, this varies by age group. The majority of council areas experienced population decline in age groups 0 to 15 (26 out of 32) and 16 to 64 (24 out of 32). Whereas, the population aged 65 and over grew in almost all (30 out of 32) council areas. 

Areas facing population decline tend to be rural and island council areas, as well as those in the west of the country. Whereas areas experiencing population growth are generally the larger cities and their neighbouring council areas. However, there are pockets of population growth and decline within all council areas.

Find out more about this indicator.

Performance Worsening

Contribution of development support to other nations

This indicator measures Scotland's contribution of development support to other nations. Find out more about this indicator.

Scotland's contribution of development support to other nations was indexed at 100 in 2017, intended to be the baseline year.

Performance for this indicator is currently assess as "performance to be confirmed". This is due to this indicator being a newly developed indicator, taking 2017 as a baseline year for the indicator to be indexed against. While data exists for this indicator prior to 2017, is is felt that the most appropriate way of assessing performance would be comparing performance from 2017 forward.

Data for 2017 is expected to be added in due course, with the publication of the "International Networks" indicator.

Performance to be confirmed

Poverty

Relative poverty after housing costs

The proportion of individuals living in private households with an equivalised income of less than 60% of the UK median after housing costs. Find out more about this indicator.

Find out more about how poverty in Scotland is measured, and how relative poverty is defined. 

19% of the population lived in relative poverty after housing costs in 2017-20, following a broadly stable trend with 19%, 20% and 19% of people in poverty in the three previous periods.

Children have consistently been the most likely to be in relative poverty, followed by working-age adults. Pensioners have been least likely to be in relative poverty in the last 15 years. More detailed age breakdowns are also available in the annual poverty report.

An ethnicity breakdown is not available as a time series, because the ethnic composition in the weighted sample is not robust enough. However, the latest estimates published in the annual poverty report show that people in the “Asian or Asian British” and “Mixed, Black or Black British, and Other” groups were more likely to be in relative poverty compared to people in the “White – British” and “White – Other” groups.

A religion breakdown is not available as a time series, because the composition of religious groups in the weighted sample is not robust enough. However, the latest estimates published in the annual poverty report show that Muslim adults were more likely to be in relative poverty compared to adults of various Christian faiths, other religions, or no religion.

People living in households where someone is disabled have consistently been more likely to be in relative poverty compared to those in households where no-one is disabled.

People living in urban areas have consistently been more likely to be in relative poverty compared those in rural areas.

This indicator can be broken down by age, disability, gender and urban/rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Wealth inequality

The Gini coefficient is a measure of inequality where 0 expresses perfect equality (every household has the same wealth) and 100 expresses maximal inequality (one household has all the wealth and all others have none). Find out more about this indicator.

Wealth inequality in households in Scotland as measured by the Gini coefficient was at 62 in 2016-2018, compared to 60 in 2014-2016 and 62 in 2012-2014. The Gini coefficient of wealth inequality has fluctuated in previous years with no clear trend.

Performance Maintaining

Cost of living

Cost of living refers to the percentage of net income spent on housing, fuel and food by households in Scotland and is measured as a three-year rolling average. Find out more about this indicator.

The cost of living has remained relatively stable since 2013/14 – 2015/16 when measurement began.

Beyond the headline statistic:

  • The cost of living is considerably higher for households in the lowest three income deciles compared to those with higher incomes.
  • The cost of living is similar among households with and without children overall.
  • In low income households, the cost of living is slightly lower for households with children. In higher income households, the cost of living is slightly higher for households with children.
  • The cost of living is higher for households where the highest income householder (household head) is mixed race, Asian, Black, or other, compared to households with a White household head.
  • The cost of living is higher for households with a disabled household head compared to those without a  disabled household head.
  • The cost of living is highest for single parent households, followed by single adult households without any children. Households with two or more adults (with or without children) have a lower cost of living.
  • The cost of living is highest for households with a single, divorced or separated, or widowed household head. Cohabiting, married, and civil partnered households have a lower cost of living.
  • The cost of living is higher for households with female household heads compared to those with male household heads.
  • The cost of living is higher for households with household heads aged between 16 and 34 compared to all other age groups

This indicator can be broken down by income, households with and without children, ethnicity, disability, household type, marital status, sex and age. This breakdown can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Unmanageable debt

The Unmanageable Debt indicator measures the percentage of households where the household is falling behind with bills or credit commitments and either making excessive debt repayments or is in arrears on monthly commitments (liquidity problems); or where the household is burdened by high debt levels relative to annual income (solvency problems). Find out more about this indicator.

2.9% of households in Scotland were in unmanageable debt in 2016-2018. This compares to 2.8% in 2014-2016 and 4.0% in 2012-2014. The estimated proportion of households in unmanageable debt stayed the same compared to the previous period. This suggests that performance is maintaining.

This indicator can be broken down by age, children in household, disability of household members and household type. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Persistent poverty

The proportion of people in Scotland living in relative poverty after housing costs for three out of the last four years. Find out more about this indicator.

12% of the population lived in persistent poverty after housing costs in 2015-2019. This means they were in relative poverty after housing costs for at least 3 out of the 4 years in the reference period. This compares to 12%, 11% and 10% in the three previous periods, suggesting that performance is maintaining. 

Children have been consistently more likely to be in persistent poverty compared to working-age adults and pensioners.

While estimates are not available for all people, children with a disabled parent are known to be more likely to be in persistent poverty, see “Child poverty target measures by priority group.xlsx” here: Additional child poverty analysis 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

This indicator can be broken down by age. This breakdown can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Satisfaction with housing

The percentage of households who report being either "very satisfied" or "fairly satisfied" with their house or flat. Find out more about this indicator.

Overall ratings of housing satisfaction have been consistently high, with over nine in ten households typically reporting they are “very” or “fairly satisfied” with their house or flat since 2007.  The figure is at 90.1% in 2019, a similar level to the figure of 90.3% in 2018.

Generally, there is a high level of satisfaction with housing across both rural and urban areas, where around nine in ten are “very” or “fairly” satisfied with their house or flat. Rural areas are slightly more likely to report higher satisfaction levels with housing compared to urban areas (94% versus 89%).

Deprivation reveals differences in housing satisfaction levels, as the proportion being “very” or “fairly” satisfied with their house or flat increases significantly as deprivation declines. Of those living in the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland in 2019, 84% report being “very” or “fairly” satisfied with their house or flat, rising to 95% for those living in the 20% least deprived areas.

This indicator can be broken down by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and urban/rural classification. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Data for this indicator is available for 2020. However, please note that the 2020 results are not directly comparable to results for previous years, which is why the indicator shows "performance to be confirmed". Data for 2020, and further information can be viewed here.

Performance to be confirmed

Food insecurity

The proportion of adults reporting that, at some point in the previous 12 months, they were worried they would run out of food because of a lack of money or other resources. Find out more about this indicator.

The percentage of adults worried about running out of food has remained the same between 2018 and 2019, with 9% of adults reporting being worried about running out of food.

Since data collection began in 2017,

  • food insecurity has consistently varied by age, with a higher prevalence among younger people (16-44) than older people (75+).
  • food insecurity has consistently been more prevalent among adults with a limiting longstanding illness (18% in 2019) than adults with a non-limiting longstanding illness (6% in 2019) and no limiting illness (5% in 2019).
  • food insecurity has consistently been more prevalent among adults living in low income households. In 2019, 23% of adults with household incomes in the bottom quintile (less than £14,444/year) reported experiencing food insecurity compared to 3% of adults with household incomes in the top quintile (more than £49,400/year).
  • prevalence of food insecurity has consistently been higher among adults living in the most deprived areas compared to those living in the least deprived areas. In 2019, there was a 10pp gap in the prevalence of food insecurity among adults in most deprived areas and the least deprived areas.
  • the prevalence of food insecurity has consistently varied by household type. Households with the highest prevalence are single parents (31% based on combined 2018 and 2019 data) and working-age single adults (20% based on combined 2018 and 2019 data).

The prevalence of food insecurity between men and women is comparable. In 2019, there was no difference between men and women (9%).

This indicator can be broken down by age, equivalised income, gender, household type, limiting longstanding illness and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Maintaining

Graph Load

Year Figure
2019-20 14.30
2018-19 14.50
2017-18 15.40
2016-17 17.60
2015-16 18.40
2014-15 19.20

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