Neighbourhoods
Far fewer Glaswegians live in Scotland's worst-off neighbourhoods
of Glaswegians in Scotland's worst-off tenth of neighbourhoods — down from 46% in 2004
What this means
Fewer Glasgow neighbourhoods are among Scotland's poorest than in 2004. That is real progress.
But nearly half the city still lives in Scotland's poorest fifth.
Scotland ranks every small neighbourhood in the country from worst-off to best-off. In 2004, 46% of Glaswegians lived in the worst-off tenth. By 2020 that was down to 29% — about 185,000 people. That is a genuine improvement, and a big one.
But read it carefully. This is a league table, not a headcount. Glasgow can move up it because Glasgow got better, or because other places got worse, or both. And even after the improvement, 44% of the city — 281,000people — still live in Scotland's worst-off fifth.
Share of Glaswegians in Scotland's worst-off 10% of neighbourhoods
2004 compared with 2020 · Scottish Government
Bars drawn to a 50% scale.
The technical detail
The ranking was also published in 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2016. Those years are omitted because neighbourhood boundaries were redrawn between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, so the middle points cannot be compared like for like with either end.
The ranking cannot tell you whether anyone got richer or poorer in cash terms. Large-scale demolition and rehousing moved people between neighbourhoods during this period, which shifts the figures without necessarily changing anyone's income.
Where this comes from
- Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation — Scottish Government, via Understanding Glasgow
Share of Glasgow's population living in Scotland's most deprived 10% and 20% of neighbourhoods, SIMD 2004 and SIMD 2020. Intermediate releases (2006, 2009, 2012, 2016) are omitted because neighbourhood boundaries were redrawn between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, so the middle points are not comparable with either end.
Fewer bad neighbourhoods, more poor children
Glasgow's neighbourhoods improved on the national ranking at the same time as its child poverty rate rose faster than anywhere in Scotland. Both are true, and the reason matters.
One simple next step