Child social and physical development
Latest Update: 13 July 2023
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 2021-22, 17.9% of children were recorded as having a developmental concern at their 27-30 month review. This is a higher proportion than in 2020-21 (14.9%). The proportion of children with a developmental concern has increased since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, after a period of decreasing developmental concerns between 2013-14 (19.2%) and 2019-20 (14.3%).
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 2021-22, 11.9% of children had a concern recorded at 13-15 months and 15.0% had a concern recorded at 4-5 years.
Data Breakdowns
This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, ethnicity and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation in the drop down menus below the charts.
Breakdowns for this indicator are available by local authority, health board, language spoken, whether children are bi/multilingual and looked after children status. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder and are below.
- In 2021-22, the local authority with the highest proportion of children with a developmental concern was West Dunbartonshire (26.1%), while the local authority with the lowest proportion of children with a developmental concern was Aberdeenshire (8.6%).
- In 2021-22, the health board with the highest proportion of children with a developmental concern was NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (23.0%), while the health board with the lowest proportion of children with a developmental concern was NHS Orkney (11.1%).
- In 2021-22, children living in households in which English was not the main language spoken in the household (19.1%) were more likely to have a developmental concern recorded than children for whom English was the main language spoken in the household (17.7%).
- The proportion of children with a developmental concern is also available broken down by whether or not the child is bi/ multilingual. In 2021-22, children who were bi/ multilingual (18.2%) were slightly more likely than children who were not bi/ multilingual (17.9%) to have a developmental concern recorded.
- In 2021-22, looked after children (37.6%) were more than twice as likely as non-looked after children (17.8%) to have a developmental concern recorded.
Important Information
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.
Performance Worsening
In 2021-22, boys (22.9%) were almost twice as likely as girls (12.5%) to have a developmental concern recorded.
In 2021-22 a higher proportion of children of Black, Caribbean, or African ethnicity (26.5%) and Asian ethnicity (21.8%) had a developmental concern recorded than the national average (17.9%).
In 2021-22, children living in the most deprived areas of Scotland (25.7%) were more than twice as likely to have a developmental concern recorded than children living in the least deprived areas (11.3%).
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). Find out more about this indicator.
The proportion of children aged 4-12 in Scotland having an “abnormal” or “borderline” score on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was at 16% during 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.
Data Breakdowns
This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, disability, ethnicity and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and Urban/Rural classification. These are available in the drop down menus below the charts.
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%). These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.
Performance Maintaining
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%).
In 2017-2021 (excl. 2020), boys (21%) were more likely than girls (12%) to have a score classed as “abnormal” or “borderline”.
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 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'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.
58 per cent of young people agreed that were good at taking their views into account when taking decisions that affect them
Data breakdowns
This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status and Urban/rural classification and can be found in the drop down menus below the charts.
Breakdowns for this indicator are also available by School Year. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.
Performance Improving
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.
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).
There were no notable differences between urban and rural areas.
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).
Data Breakdowns
This indicator can be broken down by gender and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. These can be viewed as charts in the drop down menus below.
Breakdowns for this indicator are also available by local authority and health board. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder and are below.
- 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.
Performance Maintaining
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.
Quality of children's services
Latest update: 06 February 2024
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 2022, the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare holding Care Inspectorate evaluation grades of good or better across all four key questions was 90.1%. This is an increase of 0.7 percentage points from the previous year.
Data breakdowns
This indicator can be broken down by SIMD, Urban/Rural, local authority and servic category. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.
- In 2022, the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare holding Care Inspectorate evaluation grades of good or better across all four key questions was 91.8% for SIMD quintile 1, 89.9% for quintile 2, 88.9% for quintile 3, 91.4% for quintile 4, and 88.3% for quintile 5.
- In 2022, the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare holding Care Inspectorate evaluation grades of good or better across all four key questions was 88.0% for large urban areas, 91.0% for other urban areas, 93.6% for accessible small towns, 85.3% for remote small towns, 92.4% for accessible rural, and 89.0% for remote rural.
- In 2022, the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare holding Care Inspectorate evaluation grades of good or better across all four key questions was 95.7% for children and family centres, 90.0% for nurseries and 86.7% for playgroups.
- In 2022, the percentage of settings providing funded Early Learning and Childcare holding Care Inspectorate evaluation grades of good or better across all four key questions ranged from 72.7% in Na h-Eileanan Siar to 97.3% in West Dunbartonshire.
Performance Improving
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).
Data Breakdowns
This indicator can be broken down by age, gender, disability and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. These can be viewed as charts in the drop down menus below.
Breakdowns for this indicator are available by school year, carer status and parent status. These breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder and are below.
- The percentage was slightly higher among those who were not carers (83 per cent) than carers (79 per cent);
Performance Maintaining
The percentage was slightly higher among children from the least deprived areas (83 per cent) than those from the most deprived areas (80 per cent).
The percentage was slightly higher among and those without a long term illness of disability (84 per cent) than those without such an illness (75 per cent).
The percentage was slightly higher among those without a long term illness of disability (84 per cent) than those without such an illness (75 per cent).
The percentage was slightly higher among children from the least deprived areas (83 per cent) than those from the most deprived areas (80 per cent).
The percentage was slightly higher among children from the least deprived areas (83 per cent) than those from the most deprived areas (80 per cent).
The percentage was slightly higher among children from the least deprived areas (83 per cent) than those from the most deprived areas (80 per cent).
The percentage was slightly higher among children from the least deprived areas (83 per cent) than those from the most deprived areas (80 per cent).
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 11% in 2019-22, similar to the previous periods. However, the latest two estimates cannot be directly compared to previous estimates. This is because the latest two periods cover a time when families were less able to undertake certain activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and not necessarily because they couldn't afford to. This changed how people responded to the material deprivation questions. More information is available in the poverty statistics report.
Data Breakdowns
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.
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.
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 to be confirmed
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.
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.