More reported child deaths in Scotland per head than other UK nations

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s (RCPCH) report showed that Scotland had a reported child mortality rate of 8.9 deaths per 10,000 children in 2024.

The ‘State of Child Health: Scotland’ report also showed that children in poorer areas are much more likely to experience worse health.

The child mortality rate in Scotland has reduced slightly - but is still the worst in UK. The 8.9 per 100,000 rate is down from 10.8 in 2023. The 2024 figure for Scotland compares to 8.5 for England and a UK average of 8.6.

The report also said that 27 per cent of five-year-olds in Scotland had obvious tooth decay, with no improvement since 2020.

Of that number, 40 per cent of children in the most deprived areas had evidence of tooth decay - compared with just 16 per cent of children in the least deprived areas.

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Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of children aged four to five were overweight or living with obesity in 2024/25. Children from the poorest areas were also twice as likely to be at risk of obesity than those living in the least deprived areas.

RCPCH Officer for Scotland, Dr Lynn Macleod, said: “This report shows that too many children and young people in Scotland are being let down, with those living in the poorest communities facing the worst health outcomes.

“It is unacceptable that Scotland also has the highest reported child mortality rate among the UK nations.

“For paediatricians, it is deeply distressing to witness children experiencing preventable declines in their health and wellbeing, particularly in communities facing the greatest levels of poverty and disadvantage.

“These outcomes are not inevitable. That is why we are calling on the Scottish Government to deliver sustained investment and prioritise prevention, so that every child has the opportunity to grow up healthy and thrive.”

The report also revealed that very few routine childhood vaccines meeting the 95 per cent 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.

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Nicola Killean, Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland, said: “This report raises concerning failings in upholding children in Scotland’s right to the best possible standard of mental and physical health. Children from minority ethnic groups or living in poverty are impacted most, and this is deeply worrying.

“My office shares concerns that mental health services in Scotland are not there when children need them, and too often leave young people without support before reaching crisis point. They must have access to services, care, and treatment appropriate to their age and condition. Without this, their rights to health, development, and life can all be impacted.

“We support calls for improved data collection and transparency, not only to improve care but to enable children to engage with government action on their rights.

“The Scottish Government must take this report seriously and take action, including through investment in services, to improve children’s right to health. We need better data collection to see the true picture and inform effective change. Children should be able to see what progress is – or isn’t – being made. There needs to be greater transparency so that the Scottish Government and public authorities can be held accountable.”

SNP Health Secretary Angela Constance said: “I thank the Royal College for this report – the death of any child is a tragedy and this report shows why we must embed a preventative approach to improving Scotland’s health and to eradicating child poverty.

“We are taking important steps. Our flagship Childsmile programme, for example, provides targeted measures to increase toothbrushing and improve dental health for children across Scotland, with latest statistics showing that 81.5% of P7 pupils now have no obvious tooth decay.

“We are also seeing long waits for planned care appointments and procedures coming down and activity increasing across NHS Scotland, and I am particularly focused on ensuring children and young people who require treatment get the care they need, when they need it.

“Beyond this we continue to take action to increase vaccine uptake, invest in mental health support for children and young people and to reduce obesity, with investments this year in our Summer of Sport helping get more children physically active.”