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 2020-21, 14.9% of children were recorded as having a developmental concern at their 27-30 month review. This is a slightly higher proportion than in 2019-20 (14.5%), but there has been a gradual reduction in concerns since 2013-14 (19.2%).

Please note that this indicator was changed in 2021 to measure 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. NPF 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 2020-21, the local authority with the highest proportion of children with a developmental concern was Inverclyde (23.3%), while the local authority with the lowest proportion of children with a developmental concern was Aberdeenshire (2.7%).

  • In 2020-21, the health board with the highest proportion of children with a developmental concern was NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (20.3%), while the health board with the lowest proportion of children with a developmental concern was NHS Grampian (3.0%).

  • Currently, this NPF indicator only tracks outcomes at the 27-30 month child health review. The annual Early Child Development publication from which these statistics are derived also reports on outcomes at 13-15 month and 4-5 year child health reviews. In 2020-21, 9.6% of children had a concern recorded at 13-15 months and 12.6% had a concern recorded at 4-5 years.

  • In 2020-21 a higher proportion of children of Black, Caribbean, or African ethnicity (20.6%) and Asian ethnicity (18.7%) had a developmental concern recorded than the national average (14.9%).

  • In 2020-21, children living in the most deprived areas of Scotland (22.8%) were more than twice as likely to have a developmental concern recorded than children living in the least deprived areas (8.7%).

  • In 2020-21, children living in households in which English was not the main language spoken in the household (16.5%) were more likely to have a developmental concern recorded than children for whom English was the main language spoken in the household (14.8%).

  • The proportion of children with a developmental concern is also available broken down by whether or not the child is bi/ multilingual. In 2020-21, children who were bi/ multilingual (14.7%) were slightly less likely than children who were not bi/ multilingual (15.1%) to have a developmental concern recorded.

  • In 2020-21, boys (19.6%) were almost twice as likely as girls (10.0%) to have a developmental concern recorded.

  • In 2020-21, looked after children (31.0%) were more than twice as likely as non-looked after children (14.9%) 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

This indicator measures the percentage of 4 to 12 year old children who have a “borderline” or “abnormal” score on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) section of the Scottish Health Survey (SHeS).

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 2017-2021 (excl. 2020). While this is the same as in 2016-19, it is a 1% point increase since the 2015-18 period and a 2% point increase since 2012-15.

In 2017-2021 (excl. 2020), boys (21%) were more likely than girls (12%) to have a score classed as “abnormal” or “borderline”.

Children from the most deprived areas of Scotland (26%) had more than double scored as "abnormal" or "borderline", compared to children from the least deprived areas (10%).

Children living in households with the lowest income (28%) (adjusted for household size and composition), were four times as likely to be scored "abnormal" or "borderline", compared to children living in households with the highest income (7%).

Children with a limiting longstanding illness (51%) were more than four times as likely to have a score classed as "abnormal" or "borderline" when compared to children with no longstanding illnesses (12%).

Children aged 10-12 (17%) and 7-9 (18%) typically reported a higher proportion of "abnormal" or "borderline" scores than children aged 4-6 (14%).

Breakdowns are also available for the 5 dimensions used in the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, cross-tabulated against each of the above. In 2017-2021, the most common difficulties were recorded in the Hyperactivity dimension (21% of all children), followed by Conduct Disorder (20%), Peer Problems (19%) Emotional symptoms (18%), and Prosocial Behaviour (9%).

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

Latest update: 25 August 2022

This indicator measures the perinatal 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 remained at 5.7 per 1,000 births in 2021, the same as in 2020.

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 2011, to 5.7 per 1000 births in 2021. The lowest rate recorded was in 2018 (5.1 per 1,000 births).

In 2021, the local authority with the lowest perinatal mortality rate was Angus, with 1.1 perinatal deaths per 1,000 births. The local authority with the highest perinatal mortality rate was Orkney Islands, with 11.6 perinatal deaths per 1,000 births. However, due to the small size of the Orkney Islands local authority, a small increase in the number of perinatal deaths can appear as a large increase in the perinatal mortality rate.

In 2021, the NHS Board with the lowest perinatal mortality rate was NHS Highland, with 4.4 perinatal deaths per 1,000 births. The NHS Board with the highest perinatal mortality rate was NHS Orkney, with 11.6 perinatal deaths per 1,000 births. However, due to the small size of NHS Orkney, a small increase in the number of perinatal deaths can appear as a large increase in the perinatal mortality rate.

In 2021, Scotland’s perinatal mortality rate was 5.6 per 1,000 births and 5.9 per 1,000 births for males and females respectively.

In 2021, the perinatal mortality rate in Scotland’s 20% most deprived areas was 7.7 per 1,000 births. This compares with 3.9 per 1,000 births in the 20% least deprived areas.

 

Performance Maintaining

Quality of children's services

Latest update: 25 October 2022

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 2021, the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare achieving Care Inspectorate grades of good or better across all four quality themes was 89.4%. This is a decrease of 1.4 percentage points from the previous year.

  • In 2021, the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare achieving Care Inspectorate grades of good or better across all four quality themes was 93.3% for children and family centres, 89.4% for nurseries and 85.7% for playgroups.

  • In 2021, the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare achieving Care Inspectorate grades of good or better across all four quality themes was 90.8% for SIMD quintile 1, 87.7% for quintile 2, 89.0% for quintile 3, 91.7% for quintile 4, and 87.3% for quintile 5.

  • In 2021, the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare achieving Care Inspectorate grades of good or better across all four quality themes was 86.3% for large urban areas, 90.4% for other urban areas, 91.3% for accessible small towns, 85.3% for remote small towns, 92.9% for accessible rural, and 89.6% for remote rural.

Breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

Performance Worsening

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.

To support social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection for the 2020/21 SCJS did not start as face-to-face, in-home interviews were not possible. Due to this there was no 2020/21 SCJS publication.

In 2020 the Scottish Victimisation Telephone Survey (SVTS) was developed as a discrete collection to the SCJS to collect data whilst face-to-face interviewing on the SCJS was not possible. The SVTS is a social survey which asked people about their experiences and perceptions of crime, safety, and policing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst the SVTS covers similar topics to the SCJS, there are some key differences, outlined in the Main Findings report, which mean SVTS and SCJS results are not comparable.

In 2020, over half of adults (54%) believed that crime in their local area had stayed about the same since the virus outbreak (defined as since the start of the UK’s first national lockdown on the 23rd March 2020), with a further 23% thinking that crime in their area had gone down. This is a greater proportion than believed it had gone up (15%).

There were variations by demographic and area characteristics in the perceptions of local crime. Those living in rural areas were more likely than those living in urban areas to believe crime in their local area had stayed about the same since the start of the virus outbreak. Women, those aged 60 and over, those living in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland, and those who had been a victim of a crime were all more likely than comparator groups to believe that crime had gone up in their local area since the start of the virus outbreak. Conversely, women and those aged 60 and over were less likely to believe that crime had decreased in their local area since the start of the virus outbreak.

The SCJS restarted in November 2021 with a more resilient and flexible 2021/22 survey design. The 2021/22 SCJS has undergone significant development to enable the continuation of data collection during the pandemic. Therefore, although a central aim, it may not be possible to compare 2021/22 results to the SCJS time series. The results of the 2021/22 SCJS are expected to be published in mid-2023 when, in preparation for which, it will be determined if it is possible to update this indicator.  

 

Performance Maintaining

Community ownership

Latest update: 27 September 2022

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

The number of assets in community ownership was 711 in 2021. This is 7.2% higher than in 2020.

These figures show an increase in the number of assets in community ownership between 2020 and 2021. In 2021, the number of assets was 711 compared to 663 in 2020.

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

Performance Improving

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.

To support social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection for the 2020/21 SCJS did not start as face-to-face, in-home interviews were not possible. Due to this there was no 2020/21 SCJS publication.

In 2020 the Scottish Victimisation Telephone Survey (SVTS) was developed as a discrete collection to the SCJS to collect data whilst face-to-face interviewing on the SCJS was not possible. The SVTS is a social survey which asked people about their experiences and perceptions of crime, safety, and policing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst the SVTS covers similar topics to the SCJS, there are some key differences, outlined in the Main Findings report, which mean SVTS and SCJS results are not comparable.

Most adults (91%) were not victims of any SVTS crime between September 2019 and September 2020, with around one-in-eleven (9%) adults in Scotland experiencing crime over this time period. Adults living in urban areas were more likely to have been a victim of SVTS crime than those living in rural areas (10% compared to 5%). Whereas, those aged 60 and over were less likely to have been a victim of crime compared to all other age groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the likelihood of experiencing crime between men and women, nor between those living in the 15% most deprived areas and those living elsewhere.

The SCJS restarted in November 2021 with a more resilient and flexible 2021/22 survey design. The 2021/22 SCJS has undergone significant development to enable the continuation of data collection during the pandemic. Therefore, although a central aim, it may not be possible to compare 2021/22 results to the SCJS time series. The results of the 2021/22 SCJS are expected to be published in mid-2023 when, in preparation for which, it will be determined if it is possible to update this indicator.

 

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.

The social capital indicator is a composite index measure that depends on consistency of data collection. Since 2020 SHS data are not comparable with previous years, we are not able to provide an performance rating for 2020. Data from other sources collected during COVID suggests that the pandemic has resulted in worsened levels of many of the social capital themes, and particularly for certain groups and places within the population. This impact is the focus of separate research and analysis, and there are discussions ongoing about the most suitable way for social capital trends to be presented within the National Performance Framework.

The Scotland’s Wellbeing: The Impact of COVID-19 report brings together much of this information.

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.

Approximate Gross Value Added (GVA) for Scotland’s Creative Industries sector was estimated at £4,379.0 million in 2020, up by 3.2% (in nominal terms) on 2019.  While there has been an increase in approximate GVA over the latest year, there has been a reduction of 11.3% since 2017.

The largest contribution to approximate Gross Value Added (GVA) within the Creative Industries sector came from Software/Electronic Publishing (56.3%), followed by Design (10.7%), then Architecture (8.8%).

The overall increase in approximate GVA in the Creative Industries between 2019 and 2020 was driven by the Software/Electronic Publishing sub-sector, whereas most other sub-sectors experienced a fall in approximate GVA as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

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

Performance Improving

People working in arts and culture

Latest update: 25 January 2023

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

In 2021, there were 78,000 jobs in Scotland’s Creative Industries sector, down by 9,000 jobs (-10.3%) on 2020.

The number of jobs in Scotland’s Creative Industries sector decreased by 10.3% between 2020 and 2021. The decrease over the latest year was driven by a fall in jobs in ‘Software/electronic publishing’.    

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 2021, the Local Authority areas with the highest number of jobs in the Creative Industries sector were Glasgow City and City of Edinburgh (around 21,000 and 17,000 jobs respectively).

The vast majority of Creative Industries jobs are in Scotland’s urban areas. In 2021, there were 71,000 Creative Industries jobs in Scotland’s urban areas, this compares to 7,000 Creative Industries jobs in Scotland’s rural areas.

In 2021, the sub-sectors ‘Software/electronic publishing’ and ‘Design’ made up the largest share of employment in the Creative Industries sector (30,500 and 7,600 jobs respectively). Between 2020 and 2021, the number of jobs in ‘Software/electronic publishing’ fell by 18.9% but for Design rose by 14.0%.

Performance Worsening

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 2020 Scotland was ranked in 16th place (out of 38 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. Scotland’s productivity has remained in the second quartile since 2000, and has been at 16th position in each year since 2008.

Scotland’s productivity rank among OECD member countries has been maintained at 16th in 2020. Productivity levels in Scotland were 82.9% of the lowest level in the top quartile (Austria).

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.

The annual rate of change of GDP in Scotland in 2020 was -9.62% and the average annual GDP growth rate over the previous three years was 1.04%, giving a difference of -10.7%.

As the most recent growth rate was more than 0.1 percentage points below than the average for the previous three years, economic growth is currently worsening.

Due to the requirement for many industries to cease trading during the lockdown for COVID-19, the annual GDP growth rate of Scotland in 2020 was 10.7 percentage points lower than the average of the previous three years, indicating worsening economic conditions. 

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the shutdown of economic activity in many parts of the Scottish economy, which led to the single biggest annual fall in Scottish GDP since the earliest estimates in 1963. More context about the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Scotland, the UK and globally is available in the State of the Economy.

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 2018 was 70.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e).  This is an increase of 2.6 per cent over the year (from 68.7 MtCO2e in 2017) and 34.5 per cent lower than the peak of 2007 levels (107.6 MtCO2e). 

Performance Maintaining

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 102.8 in 2020 and generally appears to have remained relatively stable since 2000. The NCAI was 102.6  in 2019 and 102.1 in 2017, showing increases of 0.1 and 0.6 percentage points respectively. The increase since the base year 2006 is 1.5 percentage points. The NCAI in 2020 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.

The trends by ecosystem service type (Provisioning, Regulation and Maintenance. and Cultural) largely mirror the trend shown by the overall Natural Capital Asset Index.

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 2020, Scotland’s GHG Account for assessing progress to statutory targets, indicated a reduction of 58.7 per cent, compared to a target of a 56.0 per cent reduction.  As a result, the emissions reduction target was met in 2020.

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.

Notes:

We have put a pause on the updating of the ‘Spend on Research and Development (R&D)’ national indicator until more work can be carried out to quality assure the underlying source data.

This national indicator measures Scotland’s Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GERD as a share of GDP is taken from the annual Scottish Government (SG) GERD publication. GERD includes R&D undertaken by business enterprise (BERD). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been leading a redevelopment project for R&D statistics. The first phase of the project concluded with the publication of the latest ONS Business Enterprise R&D (BERD) estimates, which reflect significant methodological changes. There is currently uncertainty over the robustness of the detailed breakdowns of the new BERD estimates, which includes the data for Scotland. The ONS have put a temporary pause on the National Statistics status of the detailed breakdowns of BERD until the second stage of the redevelopment project completes in 2023. The National Statistics status of the Scottish Government (SG) GERD publication has similarly been put on pause. More detail is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/gross-expenditure-on-research-and-development-scotland-2020/ 

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

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

Latest update: 22 September 2022

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 was 92.4% in 2022 compared to 92.2% in 2021. This is a slight increase of 0.2 pp. 

There are seven data points available for this National Performance Framework (NPF) 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 this slightly increased by 0.05 pp compared to the previous year. In 2022, the proportion of 16-19 year olds that were participating in education, training or employment was 92.4%, a slight increase of 0.2 pp compared to the previous year (92.2%).

Underneath the headline result:

  • 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 the same as 2021.

  • The participation rate for 16-19 year old females is 93.2%, in comparison to 91.6% for males. The participation rate remained the same for females but increased for males by 0.4 pp between 2021 and 2022, narrowing the gap to 1.6 pp in 2022 compared to 2.0 pp in 2021.

  • The participation rate for 16-19 year olds in the Mixed or Multiple; Asian; African; Caribbean or Black; and Other ethnic group is 95.5%, which is 3.3 pp higher than the rate for those identified as white (3.4 pp in 2021). 

  • The participation rate for 16-19 year olds identified as disabled is 88.7%, an increase of 0.5 pp between 2021 and 2022. This was mainly driven by increased participation in employment which reached its highest level since the APM was introduced in 2016 (11.9% in 2022).  However, this was still lower compared to those not identified as disabled (17.8%).

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.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic data collection for the 2020 Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) was suspended as physical inspections were not possible. Due to this there was no 2020 SHCS publication.

The 2021 SHCS was carried out by an external-only inspection, supplemented with alternative sources of data (e.g. from the Energy Performance Certificate) and the householder providing information to surveyors via telephone. This external+ approach was designed to provide as reliable as possible estimates of key statistics, including on fuel poverty, energy efficiency and external repairs, while maintaining no contact with the household. No data was collected on internal aspects such as room repairs and aspects of housing standards. The key findings from the 2021 SHCS are expected to be published in February 2023. However, as the external+ approach did not collect data on internal aspects of the dwelling, it will not be possible to update this indicator.

The 2022 SHCS returned to full in home surveying in April 2022. The next update to this indicator will be in late 2023 / early 2024 when we expect to publish the key findings from the 2022 SHCS.

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 2022, 77.9% of natural features were assessed as being in a favourable condition, 0.4 percentage points lower than recorded in March 2021 and 1.9 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 2020, the amount of energy generated in Scotland by renewable sources was 25.4% of total energy consumption according to provisional figures. This was an increase of 1.4 percentage points compared with 24.0% in 2019.

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 25.4% in 2020. 

2020 represents an increase of 1.4 percentage points compared to 2019.  The rise is largely attributed to greater renewable electricity generation - over 2,200 GWh extra renewable electricity generated between 2019 and 2020, much of this due to increased wind generation.

In 2020:

  • the amount of electricity generated in Scotland from renewable sources was 20.7% of total energy consumption

  • the amount of heat generated in Scotland from renewable sources was 3.2% of total energy consumption

  • the amount of transport in Scotland running on renewable sources was 1.5% of total energy consumption

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

Performance Improving

Waste generated

Latest update: 27 September 2022

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

There has been a reduction of 5 per cent since 2011, which was the first year comparable data was collected.

The amount of household waste generated in Scotland rose by 2 per cent (55 thousand tonnes) between 2020 and 2021 to 2.48 million tonnes.

The data are held at local authority level and published statistics are available at this level.

Total household waste generated increased in 24 local authorities and decreased in 8 local authorities in 2021 compared with 2020. Of these, nine increased by more than 5%, and two decreased by more than 5%.

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 Worsening

Sustainability of Fish Stocks

This indicator measures the percentage of fish stocks fished sustainably. 

In 2020, an estimated 69 per cent of commercial fish stocks were fished at sustainable levels in Scottish waters. This represents an increase of 3 percentage points from 2019 and 35 percentage points from 2000. The percentage fished sustainably in 2020 is the highest level recorded since this data collection began (1991) and demonstrates the ongoing recovery of the commercial fish stocks. Note that the previously published headline figure for 2018 was 67% but all years of data are revised every time this series of indicators is updated. The revised 2018 figure, based on the most recent data is now 64%.

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

Latest update: 23 November 2022

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 2022 registered business stock rate of 383 businesses per 10,000 adults represents a decrease from the 2021 rate of 388 businesses per 10,000 adults.

The total number of registered businesses reduced between 2021 and 2022. This was driven by falls in the ‘Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities’ and ‘Information & Communication’ industry sectors. These decreases may have been influenced by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with businesses reluctant to take on consultancy work in uncertain times. The introduction of the contractors “off payroll – working rules” changes (IR35) introduced by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may have also been a factor.

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 177,115 businesses as at March 2021 to 175,175 as at March 2022 – a fall of 1,940 businesses (-1.1%).

    Between March 2021 and March 2022, 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 the City of Edinburgh (-520 businesses), Aberdeen City (-460 businesses) and Fife (-440 businesses). Whereas, the registered business stock in Glasgow City increased by 0.5% (+100 businesses) over the latest year.

  • As at March 2022, registered private sector businesses with their ultimate base outside Scotland (RUK based or Abroad-owned) represented 3.3% of businesses, accounting for 35.6% of employment and 55.1% of turnover.

    Between March 2021 and March 2022, the number of Abroad-owned businesses in Scotland increased from 3,090 to 3,155. Whereas the number of RUK based businesses and Scotland based businesses decreased.

  • As at March 2022, the largest industry sector was ‘Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities’ (26,480 businesses).

    Between March 2021 and March 2022, the number of registered businesses in the ‘Utilities’ industry sector increased by 6.7% (+50 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 13.8% (-1,320 businesses) - the sector with the lowest relative growth over the latest year.

  • The number of small registered businesses (0 to 49 employees) decreased from 170,890 businesses as at March 2021 to 169,000 as at March 2022 – a fall of 1,890 businesses (-1.1%).

    The number of medium-sized businesses (50 to 249 employees) decreased from 3,845 businesses as at March 2021 to 3,835 as at March 2022 – a fall of 10 businesses (-0.3%).

    The number of large businesses (250 or more employees) decreased from 2,375 businesses as at March 2021 to 2,340 as at March 2022 – a fall of 35 businesses (-1.5%).

     

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 Worsening

High growth businesses

Latest update: 23 November 2022

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

In 2022, 0.9% of all registered businesses were high growth, down from the 2021 rate of 1.2%. However, it’s important to note that there are lags associated with the turnover data used to measure high growth. Although the source of the 2022 data point is an extract of the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) as at March 2022, the underlying business turnover data will largely be from 2020. For many businesses, turnover in 2020 would have been much lower than in previous years due to the COVID-19 national lockdowns and restrictions that impacted trading conditions.

Breakdowns of this indicator show that:

  • As at March 2022, the high growth business rate was highest in Midlothian and Dundee City at 1.8%. Aberdeenshire had the lowest high growth business rate.
  • As at March 2022, foreign-owned businesses had the highest high growth business rate (6.7%) - 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 5.1%. For those businesses based in Scotland the high growth business rate was 0.7% as at March 2022, reflecting the smaller size of businesses based in Scotland.
  • The latest data show that, at 6.5%, the high growth business rate was the highest in the ‘Mining and Quarrying’ industry sector.

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 Worsening

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 2018-2020 was 39.0%

The proportion of businesses that were innovation active increased from 32.2% in 2016-18 (2019 Survey) to 39.0% in 2018-20 (2021 Survey).

In 2018-20, the sectors ‘Computer and related activities/ICT’ and ‘Research and experimental development on social sciences and humanities’ had the highest shares of innovation active businesses, at 68.8% and 79.3% of businesses respectively. Between 2016-18 and 2018-20, the share of innovation active businesses in the ‘Computer and related activities/ICT’ sector increased by 8 percentage points, and the share in ‘Research and experimental development on social sciences and humanities’ increased by 9 percentage points.

Large (+250 employees) and Medium-sized business (50-249 employees) were more likely to be innovators compared to smaller businesses. In 2018-20, 54.8% of large businesses and 57.5% of medium-sized businesses in Scotland were innovation active.

Performance Improving

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 Q4 2020, Scotland had an employment rate of 73.4%, compared with England, whose employment rate of 75.1% was the highest of the 4 UK countries. The gap between these rates was therefore -1.7 percentage points.

Scotland’s employment rate has increased over the year to 74.1% in the latest quarter (Oct-Dec 2021) and is the second lowest of the 4 UK countries. England (with the highest rate of the 4 UK countries) has an employment rate of 75.9%, giving a gap of -1.7 percentage points.

So over the year, the gap has shifted by 0.1 percentage points to Scotland’s detriment.

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

  • In Q4 2020, the gap between Scotland’s male employment rate (75.0%) and England’s (78.5%) was -3.5 percentage points. In Q4 2021, Scotland’s male employment rate had increased over the year to 76.2% while England’s had increased to 79.3%. The gap has narrowed to -3.2 percentage points, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points.

  • In Q4 2020, the gap between Scotland’s female employment rate (71.9%) and England’s (71.7%) was 0.2 percentage points. In Q4 2021, Scotland’s female employment rate had increased over the year to 72.2% while England’s had increased to 72.4%. This represents a change of 0.4 percentage points to Scotland’s detriment, with Scotland’s female employment rate now lower than England’s by 0.2 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

Female healthy life expectancy has been decreasing since 2014-2016. Male healthy life expectancy has been decreasing since 2015-2017.

Healthy life expectancy is now the lowest is has been for both  males and females throughout the timeseries covered by the NPF.

In 2019-21, healthy life expectancy was 60.4 years for males and 61.1 years for females, compared with 60.9 for males and 61.8 for females in 2018-20.

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. Males spend 78.9% of their life in good health while females spend 75.6% of their lives in good health.

The local authority with the lowest male HLE estimate was North Lanarkshire (54.3 years) and for female estimates North Ayrshire (52.1 years).

Male HLE was highest in Orkney Islands (71.7 years) and Female HLE was also highest in Orkney Islands (76.4 years).

Healthy life expectancy was analysed at birth and at 65 years.

The gap in healthy life expectancy at birth between the most and least deprived areas was 26.0 years for males and 24.9 years for females. (based on SIMD deciles).

Healthy Life expectancy is higher in more rural areas. The difference between the most urban and most rural areas for males is 5.5 years and for females is 5.6 years.

Mental Wellbeing

The mean Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) score in 2021 was 48.6. This is significantly higher than the mean WEMWBS score in 2019 (49.8).

In 2021, the WEMWBS mean score for adults was 48.6, the lowest figure in the time series. This is significantly lower than the WEMWBS mean score for adults in 2019 (49.8). Across the time series mean scores have previously ranged between 49.4 and 50.0.

Adults aged 65-74 years old had the highest average wellbeing scores (52.0) in 2021, whilst adults age 25-34 has the lowest wellbeing scores (46.0).

The wellbeing scores were not significantly different for men (49.0) and women (48.3) in 2021.

Those living in the most deprived areas had lower average mental wellbeing scores (46.8) compared to those living in the least deprived areas (50.5).

People with a limiting long-term health condition had lower mental wellbeing scores (44.7) than those who did not have a limiting long-term condition (50.4).

There was little difference in mental wellbeing scores between urban areas (48.5) and rural areas (48.9).

Performance Worsening

Healthy Weight

The percentage of adults (aged 16+) who were a healthy weight in 2021 was 32%, a slight decrease from 33% in 2019. The percentage of adults who are a healthy weight has remained relatively stable over the past few years, ranging from 32%-35% between 2008 and 2021.

The percentage of children (aged 2 to 15) who are a healthy weight was 64% in 2021, a decrease of 4 percentage points since 2019. 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 2021 (64%) and the highest in 2015 and 2017 (both 72%).

The percentage of adults who were a healthy weight in 2021[1] was 32%, similar to previous years which fluctuated between 32% and 35% between 2008 and 2021.

The percentage of children who are a healthy weight was 64% in 2021[2], a 4 percentage points decrease since 2019. This decrease does not represent a significant change at the 95% confidence interval.

Overall, younger adults are more likely to be a healthy weight than older adults. The age group with the greatest percentage at a healthy weight was the 16-24 group (61%), while the age group with the smallest percentage at a healthy weight was the 55-64 age group (22%).

Among children, 75% of those aged  12-15 were a healthy weight, compared to 58% of the 7-11 age group and 59% in the 2-6 age group.

30% of men were a healthy weight in 2021, compared to 35% of women.

This difference was similar in children, with 61% of boys at a healthy weight in 2021, compared with 67% of girls.

28% of adults with a limiting long-term health condition were a healthy weight in 2021, compared to 34% of those who did not have a limiting long-term condition.

For adults, 31% of adults in the most deprived areas were  a healthy weight, compared to 40% of those in the least deprived areas.

There was little difference in the percentage of adults who are a healthy weight between those living in urban areas (32%) and rural areas (34%).

[1] In 2021, the Scottish Health Survey was undertaken by telephone which meant that height and weight measurements used to calculate BMI were self-reported by respondents rather than being taken by the interviewer as in previous years. The self-reported measurements for adults were adjusted based on a comparison study by the Health Survey for England.

[2] In 2021, the Scottish Health Survey was undertaken by telephone which meant that height and weight measurements used to calculate BMI were self-reported by respondents rather than being taken by the interviewer as in previous years. The self-reported measurements for adults were adjusted based on a comparison study by the Health Survey for England. No equivalent adjustment factors are available for children and hence the analysis is based on self-reported measurements.

 

Performance Maintaining

Health Risk Behaviours

The proportion of adults with two or more risk behaviours (current smoker, harmful or hazardous drinker, low physical activity, obesity[1]) in 2021 was 26%, a two percentage point decrease from 2019[2] (28%). The percentage of adults with two or more risk behaviours was at its lowest point in the time series in 2021, having ranged from 28% to 32% between 2012 and 2019.

The proportion of adults with two or more risk behaviours in 2021 was 26%, a two percentage point decrease from 2019 (28%).

Two or more health risk behaviours were more common amongst older age groups, with the 16-24 group having the lowest percentage (13%) and the 55-64 and 75+ age group the highest (32%).

Health risk behaviours were slightly more common for men (27%) than women (26%).

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 (39%) almost double that of the least deprived areas (20%).

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 (35% and 21% respectively).

Adults engaging in two or more health risk behaviours were more common in urban areas (27%) compared to rural areas (23%).

[1] In 2021, the Scottish Health Survey was undertaken by telephone which meant that height and weight measurements used to calculate BMI were self-reported by respondents rather than being taken by the interviewer as in previous years. The self-reported measurements for adults were adjusted based on a comparison study by the Health Survey for England.

[2] Due to disruption to the Scottish Health Survey at the onset of the pandemic, the survey data collected in 2020 was published as experimental statistics and is not comparable with the time series.

Performance Maintaining

Physical Activity

Based on the current physical activity guidelines, the proportion of adults meeting the recommended level in 2021 was 69%, an increase from 66% in 2019. This increase represents a significant change at the 95% confidence interval and the arrow is therefore performance improving.

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).

The proportion of adults meeting the latest physical activity recommendations in 2021 was 69%, significantly higher than in 2019 (66%). This is the first increase in the proportion of adults meeting the physical activity guidelines in recent years.

Between 2008 and 2012, there was little change in the proportion meeting the old physical activity recommendations.

Adults in younger age groups were more likely to be meeting physical activity recommendations compared to older adults. The most active age groups were the 25-34 and the 45-54 age group, with 76% meeting recommended levels of physical activity. The least active group was the 75+ age group, with 44% meeting the recommended activity levels.

Men were more likely to meet the physical activity recommendations than women (73% compared to 65%).

77% of adults in the least deprived areas met physical activity recommendations, compared with 57% of adults in the most deprived areas.

56% of adults with a limiting long-term health condition met physical activity recommendations, compared with 77% of those without.

68% of adults living in urban areas met physical activity recommendations, compared to 72% in rural areas.

Performance Improving

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 was at 90% in 2009/10. It has since fallen to 67% in 2021/22, which is down 12 percentage points from 79% in 2019/20.

The Percentage of people who describe the overall care provided by their GP practice as Excellent or Good in Scotland fell by 12 percentage points between 2019/20 and 2021/22, from 79% in 2019/20 to 67% in 2021/22.

Fieldwork for the 2021/22 survey was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Questionnaires were sent out in November 2021 asking about people’s experiences during the previous 12 months. Therefore, there were a number of important changes to how services are provided that should be taken into account when making comparisons with previous surveys:

  • Guidance was issued to GP practices not to treat patients face to face unless clinically necessary.

  • Social distancing was introduced in practices.

  • While there were more remote consultations, electronic booking systems were used less as existing systems couldn’t screen for COVID-19 symptoms.

The 2021/22 survey results show that those aged 65 or over were more likely to describe their experience as excellent or good compared to younger age groups. There was a gap of 9 percentage points between the most deprived areas (61%) and least deprived areas (70%). Fewer people with a disability reported overall care as excellent or good compared to those with no disability.

The Health and Social Care Partnership with the highest percentage of people who rated the overall care provided by their GP practice as Excellent or Good was Orkney Islands with 88% of people rating the care provided positively, while North Lanarkshire was the lowest with 52%.

The percentage of respondents rating the overall care provided by their GP practice as Excellent or Good generally increased the age of the respondent, with the percentage of respondents rating the care they received positively ranging from 58% in the youngest age group (17-24) to 71% in the oldest age group (65+).

Results varied by ethnicity, with people identifying as African being the most positive about the overall care provided by their GP practice (75% rating it as excellent or good), while the least positive are those identifying as other ethnic group with 61% rating it as excellent or good.

Those living in deprived areas are less likely to rate the overall quality of care provided by their GP practice as Excellent or Good compared to those from less deprived areas. 61% of those living in the most deprived quintile rated the quality of care from their GP practice as Excellent or Good, 9 percentage points lower than those who live in the least deprived quintiles where 70% rated it as Excellent or Good.

Those who indicated their religion was Church of Scotland, Other Christian or Jewish rated the overall quality of their care from the GP practice more positively (68%, 71% and 77% respectively, rated their care as Excellent or Good) than average (67%). Those who indicated they have no religion or were Muslim rated the quality of the care from their GP practice less positively (66% and 61%, respectively) than average (67%). Differences for other religions were not statistically different from the average.

Those who didn’t have a disability were more likely to rate the overall care from their GP practice positively (70% rating it as excellent or good), compared to those who indicated that they had a disability that limited their day-to-day activities a lot (59%). 62% of those who indicated they had a disability and it limited their day-to-day activities a little rated the overall care from their GP practice positively.

People in remote rural areas were typically more positive about the overall care provided by their GP practice with 79% of them rating the overall care provided by their GP practice positively, compared with 67% overall. Those living in other urban areas or accessible small towns were generally less likely to report a positive experience with 61% of them reporting the care provided by their GP practice as Excellent or Good.

67% of males rated the overall quality of care provided by their GP practice as excellent or good, compared to 66% of females and 49% of people who identified as other.

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 increased from 3,530 to 4,110 cases per 100,000 employed.

This change, based on 3-year averages for 2015/16-2017/18 and 2018/19-2020/21, is not statistically significant.

In 2018/19-2020/21, the prevalence of self-reported illness caused or made worse by work was 4,110 cases per 100,000 employed in the last 12 months. This is an increase of 580 per 100,000 employed on the  previous estimate (3,530 in 2015/16 – 2017/18).

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 remained relatively stable until 2020 where there was a further increase, largely due to COVID-19 deaths.

In 2020, premature mortality rates increased from those in 2019. Premature mortality is currently 12 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 (824.1) compared to those living in the 20% least deprived areas (242.6).

In 2020, males showed a higher rate of premature mortality (566.6) compared to females (355.2).

Those living in remote rural areas showed the lowest premature mortality rates (360.9), with the highest rate of premature mortality being found in large urban areas (558).

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

Performance Worsening

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.

To support social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection for the 2020/21 SCJS did not start as face-to-face, in-home interviews were not possible. Due to this there was no 2020/21 SCJS publication.

The SCJS restarted in November 2021 with a more resilient and flexible 2021/22 survey design. The 2021/22 SCJS has undergone significant development to enable the continuation of data collection during the pandemic. Therefore, although a central aim, it may not be possible to compare 2021/22 results to the SCJS time series. The results of the 2021/22 SCJS are expected to be published in mid-2023 when, in preparation for which, it will be determined if it is possible to update this indicator.

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

Scotland’s overall score on the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands IndexSM (NBISM) was 65.3 in 2022, an increase of 2.7 points since the last measurement in 2020 (62.6).

The score positions Scotland 15th across 60 measured countries around the world. Countries that did better than Scotland and ranked in the Top 10 were Germany, Japan, Canada, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United States, Sweden, and Australia.

Please note, although the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index is an annual survey, the Scottish Government has subscribed to it biennially since 2010. This is because the year-on-year changes in ranks and scores are generally small and can be adequately captured over a longer time period. 

The latest figures in 2022 show that Scotland’s overall score for reputation is improving internationally, with an increase of 2.7 points since the last measurement (in 2020).

Overall, respondents in the older age groups (45 years and over; and 30-44 years) tended to have a more positive image of Scotland than individuals in the youngest age group (18 to 29 years). Those aged 30 to 44 years scored Scotland higher than the other age groups across four out of the six dimensions. Across two dimensions the scores from the two older age groups were tied.  

Women scored Scotland higher than men across the Culture, People, and Tourism dimensions. Men scored Scotland higher than women across the Exports, Governance, and Immigration and Investment dimensions.  

Performance Improving

Scotland's Population

Latest update: 13 July 2022

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-2021, eight council areas experienced a falling population including the cities and some areas in the west of Scotland. This is an improving position from 20 council areas in mid-2020.

See maps for details of population change by council area, as well as population change by small area (data zone), which show that every council has areas of population growth and decline.

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 Dundee City at -0.7% (a decrease of 1,100 people), while Midlothian had the largest percentage increase at 1.6% (an increase of 1,530 people).

While eight areas faced a decline in their population over the year to mid-2021, this varies by age group. The majority of council areas experienced a decline in the population aged 0 to 15 (26 out of 32).

The population aged 16 to 64 increased in most areas (22 out of 32) and all council areas saw an increase in the population aged 65 and over.

In the year to mid-2021, cities and some council areas in the west of Scotland experienced depopulation. In contrast, rural areas and areas neighbouring the larger cities saw the greatest population growth.

Find out more about this indicator.

Performance Improving

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). This measure has fluctuated over the longer period, and longer term trend over the past 15 years is broadly stable. Find out more about this indicator.

Wealth inequality in households in Scotland as measured by the Gini coefficient was at 64% in 2018-2020, compared to 62% in 2016-2018 and 60% in 2014-2016. This meets the NPF criteria for worsening performance.

Performance Worsening

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.

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

Note that the most recent estimate precedes the recent marked increases in living costs. The current cost of living crisis is therefore not yet reflected in this data. However, the Scottish Government has worked on a more recent analytical report on the current Cost of Living crisis which can be accessed through the link below:

The Cost of Living Crisis in Scotland: analytical report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

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 similar for households with and without 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 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, or divorced or separated household head. Married or civil partnered households have the lowest 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 slightly higher for households with household heads aged between 16 and 34 compared to older households. Costs of living slightly decrease with increasing age of the household head.

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.

The estimated proportion of households in unmanageable debt was slightly higher by 1.3 percentage points compared to the previous period, and had shown no notable change in the preceding period. This suggests that performance is maintaining, under the methodology for this National Indicator.

Data breakdowns are available by employment, household, tenure, ethnicity, age, children, income, marital status, disability, education, sex and rural and urban areas. See the 2006-2020 Wealth in Scotland Publication for more information.

The Office for National Statistics has revised the data in the previous waves of the Wealth and Assets Survey. Therefore, previous indicator values have been revised.

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.

Persistent poverty rates were similar for children (10%), working-age adults (10%) and pensioners (11%).

Persistent child poverty saw a relatively large drop compared to previous estimates, and not all of this decrease is likely to be real.

Persistent poverty estimates do tend to fluctuate. They also get revised when households re-enter the longitudinal sample and data gaps can be filled.

However, some of the decrease is plausible in part due to increased financial support during the pandemic for some lower-income households.

At the same time, reduced earnings and job losses may have resulted in a lower median income. This may have led to a fall in the poverty line, and thereby a drop in the relative poverty rate.

More information is available in the annual report

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.

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

Graph Load

Year Figure
2020-21 14.90
2019-20 14.30
2018-19 14.50
2017-18 15.40
2016-17 17.60
2015-16 18.40

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