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Living in poverty can have serious negative consequences for a person’s life and health.

How are the consequences of poverty measured?

Life expectancy

One measure of the consequences of poverty is the impact poverty has on life expectancy – the age to which people are expected to live.

In 2023, National Records of Scotland reported that in Glasgow City, one of Scotland’s most deprived council areas, average life expectancy for males was 72.9 years and for females 78.2 years in years 2020-22. This compared with East Renfrewshire council area, one of Scotland’s most affluent council areas, where average life expectancy was 79.0 years for males and 84.0 years for females in years 2020-22.

Illness

In terms of illness, in another report released by National Records of Scotland, in 2022 it was found that those people living in the most deprived areas spend about one-third of their lives in poor health compared people in the least deprived areas who only spend around only 15% of their in poor health.

Low birth weight

Low birth weight is another indicator of poverty in society. Children with a low birth weight are more likely to develop health-related problems later in life. Studies from the Glasgow Centre for Population Health note that a higher proportion of babies born to mothers from more deprived areas have a lower birth weight, compared to those born in more well-off parts.

Lifestyle choices

Having a long life expectancy and good health are not only affected by poverty, as people’s lifestyle choices also affect their health. There are links between lifestyle choices and economic inequality.

Smoking and alcohol

In 2021, the Scottish Government reported that among the least deprived people in Scotland, only around 5% smoked. However, among the most deprived around 24% smoked.

For alcohol, National Records of Scotland reported in 2021 that alcohol-related deaths were 4.3 times more common in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived areas.