The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has published a Scotland-focused briefing following the launch of its UK State of Child Health 2026 report.
The briefing provides a clear and comprehensive overview of children’s health in Scotland, examining progress against 12 key child health indicators, including infant and child mortality, mental health, obesity, immunisation and asthma.
RCPCH Scotland analysis shows:
- Scotland had the highest reported child mortality rate among the UK nations in 2024, at 10.1 deaths per 100,000 children.
- Twenty-seven percent of five-year-olds in Scotland had obvious tooth decay in 2024-25, with no improvement since 2020.
- Of that number, 40% of children in the most deprived areas had evidence of tooth decay, compared with just 16% of children in the least deprived areas.
- Nearly a quarter (24%) of children aged 4 to 5 were overweight or living with obesity in 2024-25. Children living in Scotland’s most deprived areas were also twice as likely to be at risk of obesity than those living in the least deprived areas.
- Vaccination coverage remains a significant concern, with very few routine childhood vaccines meeting the 95% uptake target, and substantially lower uptake among children living in the most deprived areas.
- Socioeconomic inequalities in early childhood development remain persistent. At the 27-to-30-month review, children living in Scotland’s most deprived areas are 14.8 percentage points more likely to have a developmental concern recorded than children living in the least deprived areas.
Following this analysis, a recent YouGov poll of parents in Scotland found that there is a clear public expectation that more action is needed to improve children’s health and access to care. The YouGov poll found that:
- 55% of Scottish parents with children under 18 believe the Scottish Government is doing too little to support child health.
- Long waiting times are seen as the biggest barrier to children and young people receiving the care they need, with 40% of Scottish parents with children under 18 identifying this as the NHS issue with the greatest impact.
