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Mothers under 25


This is a relatively small group, but it is the group with the highest poverty rate amongst the priority groups.

Child poverty rates in households with mothers under 25, Scotland

We do not have figures showing how many children live in households with young mothers, and we do not have poverty rate estimates for the most recent years (2016-19 and 2017-20), but we do have three-year poverty rate estimates covering 2011 up to 2018. During that time period, absolute and relative poverty rates dropped between 2011-2014 and 2013-2016, but then rose again by 2015-2018. Rates of combined low income and material deprivation also dropped in 2013-2016, but they remained more stable at around 26% between 2013-2016 and 2015-2018.

First-time mothers under the age of 19, Scottish cities
Percentage of first time mothers who are under 19 at the birth of their first child - selected Scottish cities - 1999/2000 - 2018/2019

We do not have figures showing how many children live in households with mothers under 25 or the poverty rates for these groups at a local authority level. Figures that look at the age of first-time mothers can show how many first-time mothers were under the age of 19. Although this is not exactly the same group, these households will be in that group for the longest period.

There has been a long-term downward trend in the proportion of first-time mothers who are under 19 in all of the Scottish cities and for Scotland overall. In Glasgow, nearly 20% of first-time mothers were under 19 in 1999/2000-2001/2002, but only around 6% of first-time mothers were under 19 in 2016/17-2018/19. Rates have fallen faster in Glasgow than across Scotland, bringing Glasgow beneath the Scottish average in recent years. Both Aberdeen and Edinburgh have lower rates than Glasgow. Dundee had the highest proportion of first-time mothers under 19 among the Scottish cities for most of this time period.  

First-time mothers under the age of 19, Glasgow City Region

Percentage of first time mothers who are under 19 at the birth of their first child - Glasgow City Region - 1999/2000 - 2018/2019

Similar to the Scottish cities, the proportion of first-time mothers under 19 in the Glasgow City Region has been falling since 1999/2000-2001/2002. In the most recent years covered, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire all had lower proportions of first-time mothers under 19 than the Scottish average. The other local authorities in the Glasgow City Region had higher proportions, but all showed a similar trend, with proportions reducing throughout this time period. 

Notes

These data come from Scottish Government statistics. The newest child poverty data, released in December 2024, did not include estimates for this group, and so this page has not been updated. It will be updated when more up-to-date figures are available.

Further reading under ‘Child poverty priority groups’