Poverty and wealth overview

Poverty is a complex and dynamic phenomenon that can be defined in many different ways. However, most definitions would mention the contribution of a range of inter-related elements such as low income, unemployment, lack of opportunity, social exclusion and deprivation – both relative and absolute.

Poverty and wealth infographic.

Click here to download the poverty and wealth infographic.

Glasgow remains the most deprived city and local authority area in Scotland. The following summary provides some specific statistics for Glasgow:

Almost half (44%) of Glasgow’s residents, 281,000 people, reside in the 20% of most deprived areas in Scotland. In contrast, nearly 37,000 people (6% of the population) live in the 10% of least deprived areas in Scotland (based on 2020 population estimates).
There has persistently been a lower percentage of households that are coping well financially in Glasgow compared to Scotland over the nine years between 2012 and 2021, although that gap has been more narrow since 2017.
33% of all children in the city were estimated to be living in poverty in 2022-23.
The distribution of child poverty and vulnerability to child poverty varies dramatically across Glasgow – 75% of children in one neighbourhood experiencing poverty compared to 5% in the neighbourhoods with the lowest levels of child poverty.
Glasgow has had the highest rate of workless households among the four largest cities in Scotland for most of the last two decades. In 2021 the rate was 24%, although this was a decrease from 31% in 2004.
57% of working-age adults in poverty and 69% of children in poverty live in a household where at least one person works, this is known as 'in-work poverty'. (2019-22).

Levels of poverty in Glasgow are likely to change as the full effects of COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis impact on the city.

The Scottish Government published their latest report on poverty and income inequality in Scotland in March 2025, covering the period of April 2021- March 2024. The key findings in the 2025 report were:

23% of children were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2021-24.
20% of working-age adults were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2021-24.
15% of pensioners were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2021-24.
It is estimated that 16% of the population (890,000 people each year) were living in absolute poverty after housing costs in 2021-24.
In 2021-24, 84% of the population lived in households with high food security. This means that 16% of people lived in households with marginal, low or very low food security.
It is estimated that 23% of children (240,000 children each year) were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2021-24. Absolute child poverty after housing costs affected 20% (200,000 children each year).
It is estimated that in 2021-24, 75% of children in relative poverty after housing costs were living in working households.
In 2021-24, the poverty rate after housing costs for people in households with a disabled person was 23% (550,000 people each year). This compares with 17% (510,000 people) in a household without disabled household members.

In this section a range of summary indicators are used to illustrate poverty in Glasgow, including child poverty, and relative deprivation. The children's indicators section of Understanding Glasgow contains more detailed information on child poverty within Glasgow.

Links to a selection of recent reports relating to poverty are available on the poverty resources page.

The data on the Understanding Glasgow website comes from a variety of administrative sources and surveys, and the frequency of updates to these sources varies. The graphs and text on each page should indicate the period to which an indicator refers. In some cases, where more recently published data is not available, we still use older published sources, such as the 2011 Census.

This page was last updated in May 2025.