SCOTLAND is trailing near the bottom of an international league table measuring the quality of life for young people, with one of the worst records on poverty and teenage pregnancy, a damning report said today.
The first report of its kind, that compares Scotland's performance with up to 31 countries on various measures of life for children and young people, finds the country near the bottom in almost every measure.
The controversial findings, published
yesterday by Barnardo's Scotland, make for uncomfortable reading and confirm other international studies which highlight that children in the UK are losing out.
On child poverty, Scotland is ranked at 23 out of 28 countries (for some countries no data is available) - just ahead of the UK in 24th place, and is trailing the league table on teenage pregnancies - ranked 28th out of 31, compared to the UK's 27th place.
For low birth weight - another measurement of the health of a nation - Scotland is equal 24th with Portugal out of 31, while the UK is 26th.
The difference for dental health is most striking - Scotland comes in at 19th out of 28 while the UK is in third place. The figures are likely to be seized upon by those who have criticised the lack of NHS dental practices north of the border.
It is estimated that a third of children and more than 50 per cent of adults in Scotland do not have an NHS dentist.
Last night the charity called on First Minister Alex Salmond to improve life for Scotland's children in light of the findings.
Martin Crewe, director of Barnardo's Scotland, said: "This report clearly highlights that urgent action needs to be taken to improve the wellbeing of children in Scotland.
"Through our work, we know how difficult it is for children who are missing out on opportunities and we urge the Scottish Executive to prioritise children's services in the allocation of resources through the comprehensive spending review.
"We need long-term investment in children's futures, particularly in the development of preventative services.
"We need to learn the lessons from the relatively-good performance in education and use that to improve outcomes for children in other areas."
The study, by the economic consultant John McLaren, is based on a comparison with other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Scotland was also found to have a poor record for suicide rates - ranked 19th out of 30, while the UK is in 7th place. On economic participation, which measures the number of 15 to 19-year-olds not in education or employment, Scotland is rated at 24 out of 28, compared to the UK at 21.
One of the only areas where Scotland performed well was education - ranked 8th out of 31 countries with the UK in 11th place.
Barnardo's said the report, entitled The Index Of Wellbeing For Children In Scotland, bolstered other recent reports suggesting that children in the UK had fared badly when compared to other countries.
Researchers said it was too early to tell if recent Scottish Executive policies had made any difference.
The findings come just a month after Save the Children published research suggesting there are 90,000 children in Scotland living in severe poverty.
Douglas Hamilton, head of policy and research at the charity, said: "There are far too many children in Scotland living in poverty.
"It's a disgrace, given the wealth of the country... and the Scottish Executive needs to make sure this is a priority.
"Children can't wait for these issues to be resolved."
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon said the Executive would not accept a Scotland of "widening inequalities".
"This report shows that we have been failing too many of our children, for too many years
"The Scottish government is determined to right this wrong, to sort out a situation that condemns far too many of our young people to a life they simply don't deserve."
She added: "Tackling these inequalities will undoubtedly be a massive challenge for this new Scottish government, but one we are determined to deliver on."
• SAVE The Children classified just under 10 per cent of the country's one million children as living in its worst poverty bracket.
A report found that more than 90,000 children in Scotland are living in 'severe poverty'. The study looked at children aged 15 or under, living with two parents who bring home less than £7,000 a year after paying for housing costs.
The charity's Living Below the Radar report found that a third of children in severe poverty cannot even afford basic toys and games such as a bike or a football, while about 20 per cent miss out on occasions such as Christmas or birthdays.
In Scotland, 18 per cent of children are classified as being in non-severe poverty - households with incomes of about £10,000 after household expenditures.
